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Liii 




CIass_^Tl^ (oL 







CAPTAIN ELERS 
12^>Regt: 



MEMOIRS 



OF 



GEORGE ELERS 



Captain in the 12th Regiment of Foot 



(1777— 1842) 



TO WHICH ARE ADDED 

Correspon^ence an& otber papers witb 
(Benealoap an& IRotes 



Edited from the Original MSS. 

BY 

LORD MONSON and GEORGE LEVESON GOWER 



With Two Portraits and Map 



NEW YORK 
D. APPLE TON AND CO 

1903 



~n 



[Ali rights reseat ed\ 



H s M i .T 



INTRODUCTION 

The MS. of these Memoirs of Captain George 
Elers, of the 12th Regiment of Foot, was found in 
the library at Burton Hall by my relative, Mr. 
George Leveson Gower, to whom I am also in- 
debted for his assistance in preparing this volume 
for publication ; and as they seemed to me to present 
a truthful and interesting picture of life in society 
and in the Army at the end of the eighteenth and at 
the beginning of the nineteenth centuries, I decided 
on publishing them. 

Captain Elers had renewed early in 1841 his 
acquaintance with my grandfather, the sixth Lord 
Monson (then Mr. William Monson), with whom 
he was connected through the family of Debonnaire. 
My grandfather, who succeeded to the title by the 
death of his cousin in October of that year, sub- 
sequently rendered certain services to Captain 
Elers. Captain Elers died at St. Heliers, in Jersey, 
in January, 1842, from a stroke of apoplexy, having 
appointed Lord Monson his heir and executor ; but 
the inheritance was not a profitable one, as prac- 
tically his sole means of subsistence was a trifling 
annuity from his cousin, Mrs. Tennant. In fact, 

[v] 



VI INTRODUCTION 

bcyund a few watches and a little jewellery (now in 
my possession) he had only a small sum of ready 
cash at the time of his death. Lord Monson sub- 
sequently erected a tablet to his memory. 

A genealogical table, showing the author's rela- 
tionship to my grandfather, will be found at the end 
of the volume, as well as a map of India, showing 
the different places mentioned in the narrative. 

With reference to the correspondence which 
follows the Memoirs, and which, together with 
them, came into my grandfather's possession, a 
selection has been made of such letters as would 
seem to possess enough interest to justify their 
publication. Of the letters from the Duke of Well- 
ington, that written in India when he was Colonel 
Wellesley (stated by the Captain to have been 
written in 1802, but which is dated November 19, 
1 801) corroborates the statements made by Captain 
Elers in his autobiography of his intimacy with 
the Duke in early days ; whilst those addressed to 
Captain Elers by his cousin. Miss Maria Edge- 
worth, may confidently be expected to possess a 
certain attraction for all who admire the writings 
of that talented authoress. I am also fortified in 
my estimate of the interest of the Memoirs by the 
testimony of Miss Edge worth herself, as expressed 
in one of her letters. 

After careful consideration, it has seemed to me 
better to leave the text as it was written by the 
author, with the exception of a few necessary verbal 



INTRODUCTION vii 

alterations. The course of his narrative is, it is 
true, occasionally somewhat involved and discon- 
nected, but the inconvenience attendant upon this 
is, in my opinion, outweighed by that of attempting 
to rearrange the order of the text without always 
being in possession of sufficient materials to give 
one complete assurance that such a task has been 
carried out with perfect accuracy. I have further 
felt that it was preferable not to introduce changes 
into the author's somewhat peculiar style, except 
where this was absolutely necessary for ready com- 
prehension. Such changes would, to my mind, rob 
the narrative of much of the quaintness which 
brings out so well the character and idiosyncrasies 
of the author. 

The valuable footnotes to the Memoirs and cor- 
respondence are contributed by my friend, the Rev. 
Arthur Roland Maddison, Canon of Lincoln Cathe- 
dral, to whom my warm thanks are due for the care 
and interest which he has given to a task which he 
is so admirably qualified to fulfil. A few notes have 
been added by Mr. Leveson Gower, these being 
distinguished from Canon Maddison's by the 
editorial signature. 

MONSON. 
Burton Haij,, Lincoln, 
March 19, 1903. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 

. , , • rAf.E 

Author s birth — His two brothers — German ancestry — 
fjueen Henrietta Maria — Elector of Maintz— Queen 
Christina of Sweden— Staffordshire Potteries — John 
Philip and David Elers — Josiah Wedgwood — Grand- 
father's marriage — J Jourton — Father's marriage — 
Gordon riots — Northamptonshire— School at Chis- 
wick— Lord Lyndhurst - - - - 1-18 

CHAPTER H 

Dr. Barrow's school — The middy schoolboy — Liston, the 
actor — Oxfordsliire — Cousin Sophia — Oxford — Blen- 
heim — Hungerford Elers gazetted to the 43rd 
Regiment .-..-. 19-31 

CHAPTER HI 

Edward Elers enters the Navy — The Queen and lid- 
ward's miniature — Mother dies — Her jewels — 
Gazetted to the 90th Regiment — Exchanges into the 
I2th — Sartorial splendours — Colonel Aston - -32-38 

CHAPTER IV 

Joins his regiment at Newport — Placed in light infantry 
company — A pugnacious Irishman — Embarks for 
India — Lady passengers — The Prince of Wales's 
commendation— The wine limit — An unlucky ac- 
complishment .... - 39-50 
[ix] 



X CONTKNTS 

CHAPTER \' 

i'ai;k 

Crossing the Line — Arrival at the Cape — Captured 
Dutch men-of-war — Dutch fare — Constantia — 
Colonel Arthur W'ellesley — His gratitude — A timely 
loan — Arrival at Madras — Fort St. George — The 
Nabob of Arcot — A Minden veteran — Lord Hohart, 
Governor of Madras — A lovely termagant - -51-^7 

CHAPTEK \'I 

Expedition against Manila — A naval hero — Penang — 
Expedition abandoned — Captain Winstone's death 
— Return to India — Camp life — Conjeveram pagodas 
— Tanjore — \'ellum — Suttee — Revolution at Tanjore 
— Arnee — A regimental c^uarrel — A duel in Ceylon 
— Colonel Aston killed in a duel - - - 68-S9 

CHAPTER \I1 

Ill-healthy- Vellore — Pass of Amboor — To Seringapatam 
— Just too late for its fall — A palace hospital — Saved 
by port-wine — 'Old Sour Crout ' — The lottery of 
the service — Another lottery of ;^"20,ooo — ^Mrs. 
Tennant — Baffled hopes — Restoration of lawful 
Rajah of Mysore — Prize-money — The doctor and 
the diamonds — Colonel Wellesley's foiled night 
attack — General Pmrd's generosity — The Duke of 
York and General Harris — A cure for snake-bites — 
Dr. Scheltky's death — St. Thome — Rejoins regi- 
ment ------ 90-ioS 

CHAPTER \ III 

Colonel Harcourt — Lieutenant Price broken — Cotiote 
expedition — An engagement — Jungle fever — Talat- 
cheri — With Colonel Wellesley from Cannanore — 
A dangerous journey — A strange accident — The 
Rajah of Coorg — At Seringapatam with Wellesley 
— Hunting with cheetahs — A court-nuutial — Welles- 
ley's gallantries . . - . 109-126 



CONTENTS xl 



CHAPTER IX 

5- AGE 

A riding wager — Trichinopoli — Racing — A duel — Gets 
his captaincy — Losses in the Funds — Colonel Brown 
— Pondicherri — Adventure with a cobra - 127- 141 

CHAPTER X 

Athletics — Pet tiger and alligator — Colonel Wellesley's 
terrier — Bhil robbers — A servant's honesty — By sea 
to Vizagapatam — Fight between the Centurion and 
French frigates — Colonel Harcourt at Cuttack — 
Chicken hazard — Juggernaut — Calcutta — Lord 
Wellesley — A billiard match — Tigers on Saugor 
Island — Back to Madras — Atrocity at Travancore — 
Lord Lake's siege of Bhurtpore — General Welles- 
ley's K.C.B. — The Duke of Clarence and Mr. 
Calcraft — Aston at Ranelagh — Aston's duel with 
Sumner — Surcouff - - - . 142-170 

CHAPTER XI 

Court-martial — A duel for a song — Arrested by mistake 
— On duty with the 73rd Regiment — James Balfour 
of Whittingehame — Lord Cornwallis — Sails for 
England on the Hawkeshivy — Dodging Admiral 
Linois— A Brazilian convict station — News of Tra- 
falgar and Austerlitz - - - 171-184 

CHAPTER XII 

Bribing the Customs — ' Drinking gold ' — An eccentric 
sportsman — Sport in Yorkshire — The London season 
— Mrs. Colston's at Ampthill — Charles Fox at 
Woburn — Cheltenham — Discovery of a Titian — An 
awkward rejoinder — The Duke of York — Dinner to 
Lord Wellesley - . . . 185-205 

CHAPTER XIII 

Miss Gardner and Lord Chartley — A miserable marriage 
— Lord Chartley's flight — Lady Chartley elopes — 



xii CONTENTS 

I'AGE 

Sir Thomas Picton — Torture in Trinidad — The Isle 
of Wight — A calumnious clergyman — Society at 
Colonel Thornton's - - - - 206-220 

CHAPTER XIV 

Recruiting at Ipswich — Ordered to Maidstone — Return 
to Ipswich — A sporting parson — Pictures at Didling- 
ton — A large inheritance — The maid's ^50 note — A 
swim for the rods — Hawking at Didlington — Disgust 
at cock-fighting — A gardener's familiarity — Orwell 
Park and Wherstead Lodge — A rascally butler — 
Admiral Vernon and grog — The Duke of Cambridge 
and Baron Linsengen - - - 221-240 

CHAPTER XV 

Brettenham Park — A disputed succession — Lord Salis- 
bury — Lady Mary Beauclerk's flirtation — A sup- 
posed son of the Prince of Wales — ^400 lost on one 
card — ' My lord ' for one day — A marriage after six 
refusals — A billiard match — A Jacobean house — An 
accomplished woman — Kean the actor — Mrs. Keeley 
— Kerrison, ' the honest miller ' — A martinet — A 
groom's tricks .... 241-257 

CHAPTER XVI 

Young the tragedian — Kitty Stephens — A carriage acci- 
dent — Dr. Andrews' suicide — Ordered to Maldon — 
Major Elers' death — Ill-luck in promotion — Maria 
Edgeworth — Sends in his resignation — His engage- 
ment broken off — A blessing in disguise - 258-269 

Correspondence .... 270-308 

Genealogy of the Debonnaire and Elers Families - 309 
Appendix ------- 310 

Index _-_---- 313 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Captain Elers, i2th Regiment - - Frontispiece 

Major Hungerford Richard Elers - To face page 272 

Sketch-map showing Places in India mentioned in 

THE Narrative - - - At end of Volume 



AUTHOR'S NOTE 

These recollections of my life, family, and connec- 
tions are written for the information of my nephew, 
Edward Hungerford Delaval Elers, commonly called 
Napier, a Captain in the 46th Regiment, by his 

uncle, 

GEORGE ELERS 

{forjuerly a Captain in the i 2th Regiment). 

Seymour Place, 

September 19, 1837. 



CHAPTER I 

Author's birth — His "two brothers — German ancestry — Queen 
Henrietta Maria — Elector of Maintz — Queen Christina of 
Sweden — Staffordshire Potteries— John Philip and David 
Elers — Josiah Wedgwood — Grandfather's marriage — Bourton 
— Father's marriage — Gordon riots — Northamptonshire — 
School at Chiswick — Lord Lyndhurst. 

On May 14, 1777, in Great Russell Street, Blooms- 
bury Square, I first saw the light, an elder brother, 
Hungerford Richard, having preceded me by four 
years. I was about four years old when my mother 
gave me a brother named Edward, while I flourished 
under the name of George. These were all the 
children my mother ever had. 

The old baronial family of Elers were long settled 
in the northern parts of Lower Saxony, where many 
places preserve lasting memorials of the fact by the 
names they bear, as Elersdorf, Elerswolf, Elersdorpt, 
and others of similar terminology. In Hamburg 
some hereditary posts of honour and distinction 
were long held by the family ; one of them was 
Admiral of their Fleet, which during the exist- 
ence of the Hanseatic League in its full vigour 
was the most considerable maritime force in 
Europe. He married a daughter of the Prince of 

1 



2 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Baden, in Germany, some of the honours of 
which family the son of that marriage asserted 
his right to in a long and expensive lawsuit, which 
in the Aulic Council of the Empire was determined 
against him. Disgusted with the decision, the family 
suddenly removed into Holland, where my great- 
great-grandfiither, Martin Elers, was born, in the 
year 1621, and in 1650 married a daughter of Daniel 
van Mildert, a merchant of eminence, who brought 
with her a large fortune. Van Mildert was a person 
of such mercantile importance that the Queen of 
Charles I., Henrietta Maria, during her residence 
in Holland in the time of her misfortunes, occa- 
sionally resided with him, and his little daughter, 
afterwards the wife of Martin Elers, recollects sitting 
in Her Majesty's lap eating sweetmeats at her 
father's table. This Martin Elers afterwards went 
as Ambassador from Holland to the Emperor of 
Germany. The eldest son of this marriage was my 
great-grandfather, John Philip, a godson of the 
Elector of Maintz,^ of the illustrious family of Schon- 
brunn, who is honourably mentioned in Lord Claren- 
don's History. This John Philip associated much 
with men of science ; was a great chemist, and the 
intimate friend and associate of Joachim Becker, 
the most distinguished person in chemical researches 
of his time, and of whom Boerhave, in his 'Chemical 
Lectures,' speaks with the greatest respect and 

^ The Elector of Maintz was instrumental in raising a subsidy 
for Charles II. during the Commonwealth. 



ANCESTRY 3 

regard. Their pictures were mutually exchanged, 
and some of his books were dedicated to my great- 
grandfather. The celebrated Christina, Queen of 
Sweden, was his godmother, and held him in her 
arms at the baptismal font, and we had a family 
picture recording the fact. She treated him with 
the greatest kindness and affection, and constantly 
called him her cousin, in remembrance of his descent 
from the royal House of Baden. The Elector 
of Maintz presented him with a service of plate 
and his picture set round with large rubies and 
diamonds, which my grandfather possessed. This 
John Philip Elers was born at Utrecht, September 7, 
1664, He had an elder brother named David, born 
at Amsterdam, June 13, 1656. He also was a man 
devoted to the sciences, and particularly to chemistry. 
He travelled all over Europe, and visited Moscow 
among other places. His brother, John Philip, also 
travelled a great deal, associating with men of 
science. Both of them being great chemists, they 
in Holland were taught, or found out, the secret of 
mixing clay, and on their settling in England they 
introduced it into Staffordshire, and imparted their 
discovery to Mr. Wedgwood, who there established 
his famous potteries, which are still in existence. On 
their arrival in England, about the time of the 
Revolution, they settled in Staffordshire, and took 
up their residence at a large house called Brada Hall, 
which they rented of Mr. Sneyd, of Keele, where 
my great-grandfather married Miss Elizabeth Banks, 

I — 2 



4 ELERS MEMOIRS 

whose sister at that time was married to the Rev. 
lidward Vernon,^ an ancestor of the noble Baron of 
tliat title. The Prince of Orange, afterwards 
William III., honoured him with his esteem and 
friendship, and granted to a brother of his wife a 
pension of ;,^300 per annum. His sister Sarah was 
the second wife of Sir William Phipps, Governor of 
New England, who founded the present noble family 
of Mulgrave. 

My great-grandfather was married in Leicester- 
shire August 26, 1699, and soon afterwards went 
to reside at Battersea, in Surrey. In 1701 my 
great-grandfather removed from Surrey to Dublin, 
where he remained until his death in 1738. The 
other brother, David, resided in London, and was 
buried at Battersea, 1742. Whether my grand- 
father was born in England or Ireland I know not, 
but he finished his education at the University of 
Oxford,- and was considered a very accomplished 
scholar. He made the law his profession, and was 
called to the Bar soon after he left Oxford. Among 
other young" men of fashion, he was on terms of 
intimacy with a Mr. Grosvenor (about to be married 
to a young heiress), who asked him to accom- 

^ Edward Vernon, son of John Vernon, and grandson of Sir 
Edward Vernon, Knt., of Houndshill, married Lettice, daughter 
of John Banks, of Uttoxeter, and was father of Rev. Edward 
Vernon, Rector of St. George's, Bloomsbury, who died unmarried 

- His name does not appear in the matriculation books of the 
University. 



AUTHOR'S GRANDFATHER 5 

pany him into Oxfordsliire for the purpose of giving 
him his professional assistance in drawing up the 
marriage settlements. Mr. Grosvenor and the bride- 
elect quarrelled, and Mr. G., in joke, proposed that 
his friend should supply his place. And ' upon that 
hint he spake.' Miss Hungerford soon after became 
the bride of the young barrister, and brought him, 
with the old family seat of Bourton, an estate that 
then produced about ^1,500 per annum, and which 
at this time yields ;^6,ooo a year. On the marriage 
of my grandfather he relinquished his profession, 
his wife generally presenting him every year with 
a 'sweet little pledge,' while he sat in his library, 
like Dominie Sampson, enjoying the beauties of 
Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, etc., with his knees, 
in the winter months, literally in the fire, leaving 
the management of his estate to the steward and 
servants, and when money was wanted down came 
a f^ill of timber to supply immediate needs. Things 
could not long go on in this manner. The result 
was that my grandfather became in the cour.se of 
a few years much embarrassed. To relieve him 
my father, on coming of age, joined him in cutting 
off the entail of the estate, and it was all sold 
with the exception of the mansion and fifty acres 
of land surrounding it. His son, my father, Paul 
George Elers, entered the army, and the interest 
of Simon, Earl of Harcourt, a great and kind 
friend of our family, procured him an ensigncy, 
and afterwards a lieutenancy, in the 70th Regiment. 



6 ELERS MEMOIRS 

On his marriage with my mother he retired on half- 
pay. I have reason to beheve that it was through 
the interest of Lord Harcourt that my grandfather 
obtained a pension of ^500 per annum on the Irish 
estabHshment after the loss of his estate. This 
kind-hearted nobleman accidentally lost his life in 
his park at Nuneham, in Oxfordshire, by falling into 
a well. I experienced much kindness from a relation 
of his when in the army, Major-General George 
William Richard Harcourt, a Lieutenant-Colonel of 
my regiment, who afterwards died Governor and 
Commander-in-Chief at St. Croix, West Indies. 

My father married, about the year 1772, Miss 
Elizabeth Debonnaire,^ of French extraction, whom 
he met at the house of his relations, the Miss 
Blakes, descendants of the famous Admiral, and 
also of the ancient family of my grandmother, the 
Hungerfords. There were in this family three or 
four sisters, all unmarried, and living in Great 
Russell Street. They kept much company, par- 
ticularly among their own family connections and 
relations. Among the latter I perfectly recollect 
the Duchess of Leeds ;- her mother, Mrs. Anguish ; 

^ Elizabeth, daughter of John Debonnaire, of Bromley, married 
to Paul George Elers, at St. George's, Bloomsbury, July 16, 1772. 

- The genealogical details given by the writer are rather difficult 
to verify. His grandfather Elers is said to have married an heiress, 
Mary, daughter of Anthony Hungerford, of Black Bourton, County 
Oxford. Her mother was a Blake, and Richard Lovell Edge- 
worth, the writer's uncle by marriage, in his ' Memoirs ' (vol. i., 
p. 88), gives a graphic account of her, and also mentions the 



THE MISS BLAKES 7 

Mrs. and Miss Hungerford (the latter afterwards 
married the Hon. General Crewe, and the son by 
that marriage is the present Lord Crewe) ; Mr. 



Miss Blakes of Great Russell Street, where he used to see 
Captain Elers. 

But in the ' Howard Papers,' written by H. Kent Staple 
Causton, a pedigree is given of the Blakes which seems at 
variance with the above. 

Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of Sir Francis Blake, Knt., of 
Coggs, County Oxford, and Ford Castle, Northumberland, is said 
to have married Edward Digby Gerard Hungerford, of Black 
Bourton, son of Sir Edward Hungerford, Knt., by his third wife, 
Jane, daughter of George Digby, of Sandon, County Stafford, and 
relict of Charles, Lord Gerard, of Bromley. 

R. L. Edgeworth expressly mentions a portrait of Sir Edward 
Hungerford being at Black Bourton. Again, in Playford's 
' Baronetage ' {sub Blake, of Twizel Castle), Miss Elizabeth Blake 
is said to have married simply Edward Hungerford, of Black 
Bourton, and to have had 710 issue. 

It must also be remembered that R. L. Edgeworth, in his 
account of his wife's father marrying the heiress of Black Bourton, 
alludes to some difficulty in the title to the property. 

Enough has been stated to show that some difficulty exists in 
making out a correct Hungerford pedigree. The connection 
with old Lady Moira, of which Miss Maria Edgeworth speaks, 
would be a strain even to Scotch cousinship, as the common 
ancestor must have lived in early medieval times. 

As for the Miss Blakes of Great Russell Street, their identity 
must remain a problem. 

They were elderly when R. L. Edgeworth, as a young man, 
frequented their house, and he was born in 1744, so that they 
must have been probably born early in the eighteenth century. 
But who was their father ? Not Sir Francis Blake, of Coggs, who 
died in 17 18, for he had seven daughters (coheirs), who all 
married. One of them married a Blake— Robert Blake, of 
Galway — and had a son created a baronet, Sir Francis Blake, of 



8 ELERS MEMOIRS 

George Keate, a cousin, at that time known as an 
author ; Sir Francis Blake Delaval, a wild young 
man of fashion ; his friend, Mr. Edgeworth, married 
to an aunt of mine ; a Mr. Ogle ; a Mr. Foyle ; and 
Charles, Lord Dormer. All these were related to 
the old ladies, together with the Parkhursts, of 
Catesby Abbey, Northamptonshire. 

I was about three years old when I perfectly 
recollect seeing the encampment in the Museum 
Gardens, occasioned by the riots in London, in the 
year 1780.^ 

The next event that made a great impression 
upon me was getting a severe whipping from my 
father for ^walking across some iron bars in the 
yard, which, I recollect, caused great grief to my 
mother, as I did it at the particular request of my 
brother, and merely to oblige him. I had an Aunt 
Charlotte, married to the Rev. John Kerby, of 
Bulwick, Northamptonshire. They had no children, 
and soon after their arrival in London I accom- 
panied them, together with a Mr. and Mrs. Clark, 
of Bulwick Hall, into Northamptonshire. 

Soon after I was born I was sent into Hertford- 
shire to be nursed by a woman named Holmes, 
living at Berkhampstead, in that county. I perfectly 



Twizel ; but he died as late as 1780, and his children can all be 
accounted for. They may possibly have been daughters or grand- 
daughters of a brother of Sir Francis Blake, of Coggs, but this is 
pure conjecture. 
^ The Gordon riots. 



FILKINS HALL 9 

recollect my trip into Northamptonshire, and 
sleeping at an inn' on the road with the lady's-maid. 
I had several aunts, and they all married, with the 
exception of one, the eldest. Louisa married the 
Rev. Alexander Colston, of Filkins Hall, Oxon ; 
Maria, to Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Esq. ; Diana, 
to the Rev. R. Welchman ; Rachel, to Captain 
Hopkins, Royal Marines, killed on board the 
Bellerophon in Lord Nelson's action at the Nile ; 
and Amelia, married to J. Baldey, Esq., an officer 
in the Navy, lost at sea. 

With my uncle and aunt I became a great pet, 
and experienced every indulgence. I at that early 
age, little more than four, used to ride, with the 
groom, the horses to water in the village, without 
a saddle, and accompany my uncle shooting when I 
grew bigger. Nothing delighted me more than 
carrying home the game. Mr. and Mrs. Clark 
lived not more than a quarter of a mile from us, just 
through the village ; crossing a small stream of 
water, you entered their park. With them I passed 
whole days together, and called them uncle and 
aunt. Mrs. Clark had been married previously to 
Mr, Tryon, a gentleman of ancient family and 
fortune, and she had by him two sons, whose 
children are now living at Bulwick Hall. They 
had also a residence at St. Martin's, Stamford, and 
one winter I accompanied them thither, where 
Mrs. Clark presented me with the first boy's suit of 
clothes I ever wore. I full well recollect how im- 



lo ELERS MEMOIRS 

patiently I lay in bed the morning they came from 
the tailor's, waiting for my favourite maid to dress 
me in them. Mr. and Mrs. Clark were on terms 
of great intimacy with Brownlow, the ninth Earl of 
Exeter. He was jiarticularly fond of music, and I 
perfectly recollect staying a few nights at Burleigh 
to hear the celebrated Madame Mara sing there, 
where a large party of all the fashionables in 
the neighbourhood were staying. At this time 
Mr. Clark had not any deer in his park, while his 
fish-ponds were full of very fine carp. I remember 
Lord Exeter sending over to Bulwick Park a 
covered waggon filled with bucks and does ; and a 
large quantity of fish were conveyed to Burleigh 
to stock the ponds and stews in return. At 
Mr. Clark's I remember often seeing the present 
Earl of Westmorland and the late Countess ; Sir 
James Lowther, now Earl of Lonsdale ; the Earl of 
Harborough ; Sir Samuel Fludyer ; Lord Cardigan ; 
and many others. Lady Westmorland was very 
fond of driving a phaeton with four small ponies, 
and one evening, going through our village, her 
little postillions contrived to overturn the carriage, 
and threw out her ladyship and Lady Augusta 
Fane, the sister of Lord Westmorland. It happened 
Mr. and Mrs. Clark were at dinner at our house, 
and the two ladies came over to us, while an 
express was sent over to Apethorpe to inform Lord 
Westmorland of the accident. They fortunately 
were more frightened than hurt ; but they slept at 



BLATHERWICK 1 1 

Bulwick that night, and returned home with his 
lordship in the morning. 

About three miles from us lived the Hon. Colonel 
and Mrs. Monckton, at Fineshade. Her maiden 
name was Adams, and she was an heiress. Her 
brother died, having acquired a large fortune in 
India in the military service ; report stated it at 
;!^ 1 00,000. The Colonel had three daughters — fine 
young women. The eldest, Jane, died many years 
after I first saw them, unmarried. Elinor married 
the Earl of Harborough, and Mary Ann Sir George 
Pigott, Bart. They had an old French governess, 
a Madame Du Barre. They were very kind to 
me, and as I was a mere child I had the free entry 
into all their rooms. I used to spend several days 
together there. 

About a mile from us lived a Mr. O'Brien, at 
Blatherwick Hall. This gentleman had a large Irish 
as well as an English property,-^ and had a large 
family of children by an Irish woman of the name 
of Kitty Flannigan.- Mr. O'Brien gave them all 
his name, and the eldest was my playmate, and a 
sad pickle he was. When he was old enough he 
would go into the army ; he was soon sent to the 
West Indies, where the yellow fever finished him. 
His next brother, Stafford, after his father's death 
inherited the family estates. Many years after this, 

^ Blatherwycke, in County Northampton, and Cratloe Woods 
County Clare, Ireland. 
■^ Margaret Plenary. 



12 ELERS MEMOIRS 

and some years after I returned from the East 
Indies, I went on a tour with Lord Earners into 
Northamptonshire, and among other gentlemen's 
seats we visited Mr. O'Brien's. I recollected many 
of the principal rooms, and particularly the nursery 
and stables ; but where were the laughing, squalling 
children .'* Some dead, and the rest married. They 
all married well, and some into noble families. 
Mrs. Stafford O'Brien was the Hon. Miss Noel, 
and, when I knew her, young, gay, and handsome. 
But since that she has become what they call very 
evangelical. 

To return to the scenes of my childhood. Not- 
withstandino^ the delioht I took in beatino- the 
covers after game, riding, fishing, etc., my education 
was not neglected. I was taught writing by an old 
schoolmaster of the name of Rowell, and by the 
time I was six years old could both read and write 
and repeat the first dozen pages of my * Accidence,' 
a little book that was destined afterwards to be the 
source of oreat torment and orief to me at the 
school I afterwards was sent to. Thus passed the 
really happy days of my childhood, indulged by my 
uncle, idolized by my aunt, and petted by the 
servants, when one fine day my mother arrived in a 
hack-chaise, and I was given to understand that I 
must be off for London with her in the course of a 
few days for the purpose of being sent to school. 
Of my poor mother I had not the smallest recollec- 
tion. She was very tall and thin and pale, and 



AUTHOR'S PARENTS 13 

much marked with the small-pox, and in many other 
respects the reverse of my aunt, who was inclined 
to be fat, and had a fine colour. It was a heart- 
breaking parting for all of us except my mother. 

It was in the autumn of the year 1785 that we 
left these happy scenes of my childhood, and my 
mother and self arrived at my father's house in 
Great Russell Street on the evening of the second 
day. My father was a handsome, dark-bearded 
man, with remarkably fine white teeth, very good- 
natured, but very passionate. My mother was a most 
pious and excellent woman, but of a most irritable 
disposition, letting very little matters vex her ; and I 
feel conscious that from this unfortunate disposition 
of hers I was the source of great annoyance to her, 
not only as a child, but also when a big boy, the 
reflection of which has often, even to this hour, been 
a cause of bitter sorrow and repentance to me, for 
which, and all other of my numerous sins and trans- 
gressions, I beg pardon of Almighty God. I 
honoured and respected both my parents ; but from 
being separated from them ere I knew them, I 
never felt that unbounded affection and love for 
them that I felt for my dear Aunt Charlotte. Such 
are the impressions, never to be eradicated, of our 
childhood. 

On my arrival at home my two brothers were 
absent, the elder at a boarding - school, the 
younger, Edward, your father, at that time four 
years of age, on a visit with two of his aunts at 



14 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Twickenham. Christmas at length arrived, which 
brought home my elder brother from school for the 
holidays, and my father went to Twickenham with 
me for my aunts and little brother. I remember it 
was a severe frost, and I rode upon the box with 
the coachman and was nearly frozen. I recollect 
my little brother Ned was a fine little fellow in petti- 
coats ; large blue eyes, a fine fair skin, and light 
straight hair, very saucy and very passionate, bold 
and daring — in short, a boy that any mother might 
well be proud of. My elder brother was a fine boy 
of twelve years old, and from having been at school 
at Mr. Crawford's at Chiswick for three years was 
in comparison to us quite a man, at least in know- 
ledge and experience. He took care during the 
holidays to give me my lesson how I was to conduct 
myself, and the line of conduct I was to pursue on 
my arrival at the school. On my first entree he 
told me it was indispensable that I should establish 
my character for courage by taking the very first 
opportunity of fighting a battle, at the same tirrie 
candidly telling me that if it was found out by any 
of the ushers or masters, a good flogging would be 
the consequence. 

With this pleasant assurance, one fine winter 
morning my father and mother took us both in a 
glass coach to Mr. Crawford's school at Chiswick. 
I had but one consolation : my little pockets were 
stuffed out with oranges, nuts, apples, and sweet- 
meats, and a large purse filled with half-crowns. 



SCHOOL AT CHISWICK 15 

shillings, and six[)enccs. In the course of the first 
hour, on my arrival in the school-room, the head 
usher, a tall, pale-faced young man in the- last stage 
of consumption, by th(^ name of the Reverend 
Mr. Lancaster, took me by the hand, opened his 
desk, and pointing to a large rod, hoped I never 
should be better acquainted with it. The school- 
room was a large one, capable of holding 100 boys ; 
folding-doors divided it from the dining-room, which 
was also devoted to dancing, drawing, and fencing — 
twice a week. Monsieur Toutel presided over the 
first, Mr. Noble and his nephew over the second, 
and the justly celebrated Angelo taught us the use 
of the foils. The dwelling-house, a very large one, 
was devoted to the parlour boarders and as sleeping 
rooms for the rest of the boys. In the room in 
which my brother and self slept were about eight 
beds, each containing two boys ; among them were 
some very big ones. Among the oldest of the boys 
was one by the name of Holroyd, and he gave me 
to understand that I was to be his fag, and that 
among other things I was to do for him was to clean 
his shoes, and fetch his water in a large pitcher to 
wash himself with, and to do any other jobs that he 
might require. At first the novelty of the thing 
amused me, but afterwards, being obliged to get out 
of my warm bed half an hour earlier than the usual 
time of rising proved to be a hardship and a source 
of annoyance. Among other methods of tyranny 
which the elder boys practised upon the younger 



i6 ELERS MEMOIRS 

ones was to force them to strip tliemselves naked, 
go downstairs, and when the frost and snow had 
been on the ground to run round the playground 
three or four times while they lay snug in their 
warm beds. Tossing the little boys in blankets was 
another favourite diversion ; pulling off the bed- 
clothes and giving them what they called 'cold 
pigs ' another. All these freaks, they said, were to 
make them hardy and tough. It appeared to me 
very severe discipline, brought up as I was from 
my earliest recollection with so much care and in- 
duloence. 

I had been at school but a few days, when an 
opportunity offered to indulge my pugnacious dis- 
position, or rather to follow the instructions of my 
brother. During the hour allowed us for our breakfast 
and play, I got into a quarrel with a little boy about 
my own age of the name of Vansittart, and we 
adjourned to the playground, in front of a high wall 
where we used to play fives, to decide it. We had 
only fought two or three rounds, when one of the 
ushers captured us both and took us into the 
dwelling-house, where the master, Mr. Crawford, 
and his family were at breakfast. But instead of 
being punished I got caressed and praised, in con- 
sequence of some happy speech 1 made about my 
honoicr, and that I should not be thought a coward 
by the school on my first arrival. My next battle 
was with a little stout boy of the name of Richard 
Parry, one of the sons of the East India Director. 



THE PARRYS 17 

There were several brothers at the school, but 
George was the elder, a fine, manly young fellow. 
He, seeing us quarrelling, took one in each hand, 
and declared we should settle it as sfentlemen. 
Whether I found Richard too strong for me, or was 
cowed by the presence of the elder brother, I can- 
not recollect, but I soon gave up the contest. Poor 
Richard afterwards went to India or China, and 
made and was left by his father an immense fortune ; 
married and left an only son, Thomas, a very fine 
young man, heir to all his wealth. George, the 
elder, I met afterwards in the East Indies; he is 
dead, with all his brothers, my school-fellows, with 
the exception of Henry, who is now living, and whom 
I have often the pleasure of seeing and talking over 
with him our schoolboy adventures. Henry had a 
brother, William, and those two, dressed precisely 
alike and with not above one year of difference in 
their age, I remember as distinctly as yesterday. 

As a proof of the strength of my recollection, I 
was breakfasting at Fladong's Hotel about three or 
four years ago with a friend of mine, when he said a 
Mr. Henry Parry from India was living there. I 
said I made no doubt it was my old school-fellow, 
and although he wore spectacles I instantly re- 
collected him. It was about forty-seven years since 
we had seen each other. Among other boys who 
in after-life rose to distinction was Copley, the 
present Lord Lyndhurst ; he was a tall boy of 
thirteen years of age. Also the two Fullers, the 

2 



1 8 ELERS xMEMOlRS 

eldest, William, killed at Waterloo. His brother 
Joseph, who went by the name of Sleepy Joe, is 
now Sir Joseph Fuller, commanding a regiment of 
infantry. The three Reads, the youngest of whom 
gave me a severe beating. The two younger Reads 
went to India, made large fortunes, and returned 
home ; and many others I now recollect who are 
too numerous to mention. I afterwards met several 
of my old school-fellows in civil and military situa- 
tions in the East Indies. I endured much cruelty 
from an Irish usher by the name of Sullivan. He 
had the charge of the little boys, and used to teach 
them the Latin grammar. This brute used to walk 
into the country of a Sunday afternoon, and amuse 
himself with cuttins;- from the hedq-es ash sticks 
sufficient to last for the week, until they got broken 
upon our little backs and arms. He then concluded 
his evening by getting drunk at some hedge ale- 
house, the effects of Which were visible on the next 
day, Monday ; for he was always half asleep the 
whole of that day, and being afflicted with an 
inveterate asthma, he had a most disgusting way 
of expectorating on the floor. This is the only 
instance I can mention of the severity of the under- 
masters, who were in general kind and good- 
tempered, particularly Mr. Crawford, who wore 
a large, bushy Johnsonian wig, and in person was 
not unlike, but not so tall as, the great lexicographer. 
I remained at school until the autum.!, when I went 
home ill with the measles, and before Christmas 
poor Mr. Crawford died of the dropsy. 



CHAPTER II 

Dr. Barrow's school — The middy schoolboy — Liston, the actor — 
Oxfordshire-— Cousin Sophia — Oxford — Blenheim — Hunger- 
ford Elers gazetted to the 43rd Regiment. 

Mv father after Christmas sent my brother and self 
as a half-boarder to the Rev. Dr. Barrow in Soho 
Square. 

I must conclude with my recollections of Chiswick, 
and in doing so must not forget a clean, respectable, 
middle-aged woman that attended the school twice 
a week with a wicker basket covered over with a 
white napkin, containing apples, oranges, ginger- 
bread, nuts, elecampane, and nice lollipops. Every 
Sunday a friend of my father's called upon my 
brother and myself, and took us into the village to 
a pastrycook, by name Rabbinell, and stuffed us 
with good things, afterwards bringing us home and 
invariably dismissing us with a shilling apiece in 
our pockets, which as constantly found its way into 
those of our friend Molly. Every Saturday night 
the junior part of the school underwent a thorough 
good scrubbing from two damsels standing and pre- 
siding over a large tub of water, with yellow soap 
and towels coarse enough for a mainsail of a man-of- 

[ 19 ] 2 — 2 



20 ELERS MEMOIRS 

war. These two nymphs used to scrub us most 
unmercifully. ]\Iy skin was particularly tender and 
delicate, and the rough and pitiless Hannah caused 
me to roar out most lamentably. The ()ther girl 
was called Peggy — pretty, though slightly marked 
with small-pox. Our man-servant was called Billy 
Beaks, and with him I conclude my reminiscences 
of Mr. Crawford, of Chiswick. 

Dr. Barrow's school in Soho Square had from 
about eighty to a hundred boys. It was not of such 
aristocratic pretensions as that of Chiswick, yet 
there were a few boys of good family and connec- 
tions. Among them were the two Honourable 
Mr. Dormers (both of them succeeded to be 
Barons) ; William Jolliffe, father of the present 
Baronet ; Sir Philip Belson, long commanding the 
28th Regiment, and one o^ the heroes of Waterloo ; 
a fine, brave, and clever boy of the name of Andrew 
Allen, his father an American loyalist, and he born 
in America (he was the great champion of the 
school) ; the two Durnfords, both afterwards Lieu- 
tenant-Colonels in the Guards ; the two Douglases, 
the elder of whom is a great favourite with the 
present Duke of Rutland, a good sportsman, and 
formerly a good gentleman rider at races, which 
obtained for him the name of 'Split-post Douglas,' 
from shaving the posts so close ; a boy called Boys, 
who left school for two or three months to go to sea, 
and joined as a jolly ' mid ' the Quec?i Charlotte just 
before Lord Howe's victory on June i. He got his 



DR. BARROW'S SCHOOL 21 

l('g shfjt off in the action, and immediately he got 
well he returned to school to finish his education. 
You may suppose how all the boys stared when he 
stumped into school with his wooden leg, for he was 
so short a time absent he was scarcely missed. I 
shall never forget my astonishment. He afterwards 
rapidly attained the rank of Post-Captain, and died 
with the reputation of a good officer. 

vSoho Square has produced some good actors. 
Before my time Fawcett, Holman, and Morton (the 
celebrated dramatic author) received their education 
there. They are now all dead, the latter very lately. 
The inimitable Liston, about my own age, but I 
think one or two years my senior, I remember well. 
I have every reason to recollect him. The master, 
Dr. Barrow, a very good man, but severe and 
passionate when [)rovoked, was sitting at his desk 
gravely admonishing me from time to time for some 
fault of omission, or perhaps commission, when 
directly over and behind the Doctor's shoulder my 
eye was attracted by the grimaces of Liston, and 
I absolutely screamed with laughter. The conse- 
quence was a shower of hard blows from the enraged 
master, that made me scream to quite another tune. 
I once asked Liston if he recollected the circum- 
stance, but he has been too much accustomed to 
make people laugh to remember so trifling a cir- 
cumstance. We were allowed every Christmas to 
get up one of the plays of Shakespeare, together 
with a farce, which I believe gave the first impulse 



22 ELERS MEMOIRS 

to the cclcbratetl actors I have mentioned in making 
the stage their profession. Tlie tragedy of ' Lear ' 
and the farce of * The Mayor oi' Garrett ' were 
the last pieces ever acted there. We afterwards 
had every Christmas speeches and orations, together 
with a prologue written by Dr. Harrow, instead of 
the play and farce, which were attended with too 
great a sacrifice of time to get up. Among the 
other boys were the two sons of Mr. Boswell, the 
author of the ' Life of Johnson.' These boys were 
clever, but with a strong Scotch accent. The eldest, 
Alexander, I had a battle with. I forget how it 
terminated ; but I dare say I was beaten, as he 
was both older and bigger than myself. Poor 
fellow ! he was killed in a duel a few years since 
(March 26, 1822). Me was created a Baronet 
August 16, 1 82 1. 

I had not been at school in Soho more than two 
months ere I was seized with a dangerous fever, 
and the celebrated Dr. Turton attended me. I was 
reduced so much that I had strong symptoms of 
consimiption, and I was sent into the country to a 
pretty house at Sunbury, where my two aunts, 
Amelia and Jane, resided. I was ordered to get up 
before breakfast, and walk about two miles to a 
farmhouse and drink warm milk from the cow ; then 
return home to breakfast, after which, about twelve 
o'clock, I had some famous jelly that went by the 
name of the Duke of Gloucester's, having been of 
service tc^ him on his recovery from some illness. 



UNCLE COLSTON 23 

VVhal with fishin;^, cricket, riding a pony, bird- 
nesting, and a littlf-. reading, I contrived to pass 
away my time. The only drawback was that I had 
no playfeHows of my own rank, only one quiet, good 
boy of the name of Woodward, whose father was 
an honest carpenter in the village. He knew his 
place, and although I treated him with kindness and 
condescension, never forgot his situation or pre- 
sumed upon it. After having re-established my 
health, I returned home and resumed my studies at 
Soho Square. 

I perfectly recollect the PVench Revolution of 
1 789, and how our morning paper was filled with 
it. At first, I remember, it was hailed with en- 
thusiasm, particularly the destruction of the Bastille. 
I well remember my brother and self going, under 
the care of our faithful servant, James Pearson, to 
Sadler's Wells to see the representation of the 
storming of the Bastille. 

In the course of the next summer the Rev. 
Alexander Colston, who had married one of my 
aunts, came on a visit to my father. He had lately 
lost his mother, and had come into large estates 
and ready money. He was a kind-hearted creature, 
and very good-humoured to us boys. One evening 
I was walking with him in the Museum Gardens, 
when he proposed to me to come down and spend 
my midsummer holidays at his house in Oxford- 
shire. I was delighted, and it was settled that I 
was to come down with my aunt and my cousin 



24 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Louisa — a fine-grown woman of about twenty- 
four — in a post-chaise. He said: 'My dear 
George, you will be so happy ; there's your two 
cousins — Sophia, just sixteen, and Mary, fifteen — 
perfect little loves ! Then there's Edward, Alex- 
ander, Tom, and Will, your cousins. And we shall 
all be so happy. You will sing and dance with the 
girls, and ride and play billiards with the boys.' 
I was delighted with the anticipation oi' all this 
fun, and got my wardrobe all ready ; among other 
fashionable parts of my clothing was a pair of leather 
unmentionables that I had the greatest difficulty of 
getting into — a feat I accomplished not without 
assistance. Our servant, I recollect, fairly lifted 
me off the ground in the operation. And then the 
buttoning of them, and, when once buttoned, the 
difficulty of undoinQT ! 

After passing a sleepless night and encasing my- 
self with the utmost difficulty, the chaise arrived at 
the door. I shall never forget the lashing on of the 
trunks and the piling up of the bandboxes, hat- 
cases, etc., all belonq-ino: to the ladies, to astonish 
the country folks with the last London f^ishions ; and 
my poor, unfortunate little person wedged in between 
two (to me) large ladies in my tight leathers. Oh 
the misery I endured in a hot, broiling day in the 
month of June travelling seventy-two miles ! 

At last we arrived by supper-time, and two lovely 
girls and some of the young men were waiting to 
receive us. I shall never forget how much the)- 



LOVELY SOPHIA 25 

made of me, for, not having any sisters, it was the 
first time in my life I was domesticated with any 
young ladies, with the exception of the Miss 
Moncktons when T was a mere child, and they 
were approaching womanhood. At this time I was 
just past fourteen years of age. My cousin Sophia 
was a lovely girl of sixteen, with most beautiful 
dark eyes, long hair in ringlets of the darkest brown 
hanging over her face and down her back, according 
to the fashion of the day, a skin delicately white, 
her cheeks like new-blown roses, and her figure 
slight and symmetrical. Mary was one year 
younger — a blonde, with a lovely complexion, and 
rather inclined to embonpoint; what, moreover, 
raised her in my estimation was the great likeness 
she bore to my dear aunt Charlotte Kerby. Not- 
withstanding all this, my heart was irrecoverably 
lost to Sophia. It seems that when my poor dear 
mother parted from me, she gave me into the 
special charge of my cousin Louisa, making her 
promise to see to my linen, and, above all, to attend 
upon me to my bedroom at night, and to see the 
candle taken away safely, as the maids always did 
at our house in town. I proposed to her, very 
innocently, that she should delegate this authority 
to my dear Sophia ; but she would not hear of it, as 
she said she had made my mother a promise, and 
that she would perform it. I gave up the point, and 
received a chaste salute as a reward for my docility. 
I think it was from my mother that I inherited an 



26 ELERS MEMOIRS 

ear for music ; I am sure it was not from my father, 
notwithstanding his German descent. So I used to 
sing, accompanied by Sophia on the piano. She 
had a Httle thoroughbred mare she called Fanny, a 
little racer in miniature, and when she rode out, 
which was generally every day, I went with her on 
a smaller pony called Little Dick. Burford Downs 
were only about four miles off, where the famous 
racecourse called Bibury existed. Here we used to 
gallop and ride our races. 

It happened during the summer that I was down 
there that the musical meeting took place at Oxford. 
I really think it was on the occasion of the instal- 
lation of the late Duke of Portland as Chancellor. 
We formed a good party to go over there ; the 
distance was about twenty miles. I rode Sophia's 
beautiful pony, and she went in the carriage with 
her sisters and my aunt. I never shall forget how 
much the young ladies were admired by the young 
Oxonians, and what pride and delight I took in the 
prancing and curvetting of my little pony as we 
entered the High Street of Oxford, and turned into 
the inn, the Star and Garter, at that time the best 
inn in the town. I recollect, and, indeed, never can 
forget, the crowded theatre, filled with lovely 
women, and the attention paid to the orations of 
the different students. All was order and decorum. 
The next day was the music, and I recollect 
Billington, Mrs. Crouch, Signora Storace, and Kelly 
singing there with Harrison. 



BLENHEIM 27 

We made a party to see the famous house and 
park at Blenheim. I never can forget the entrance 
into that princely residence. I had seen and lived 
at Burleigh, but this far surpassed it. The magni- 
ficent entrance out of the little town of Woodstock, 
and the palace instantly bursting on your view in 
front and on your right ; the superb and noble 
bridge, one arch stretching over the immense lake ; 
the deer grouped about the rich, verdant lawn ; the 
masses of noble trees in the distance ; and the broad, 
gravel, slightly-winding road up to the house, which 
was so hard that our carriage-wheels made no im- 
pression upon it, and not a leaf to be seen upon it, 
thirty gardeners being constantly employed about 
the pleasure-grounds — I thought all this perfect 
enchantment. I remember it was intensely hot, and 
we sought a delicious cool grotto near a cascade, 
and here with a book, reclined on the turf, lay a 
remarkably handsome young French nobleman. 
He got up with all the grace of a Frenchman 
in those days (soon after the Revolution), and 
announced himself as the Marquis de Romanville. 
He paid the most marked attention to my beautiful 
Sophia, and I could not but feel my inferiority and 
the contrast between the accomplished man and the 
little schoolboy. I was consoled, however, by the 
shyness of my lovely cousin, who never quitted my 
side. However, she acknowledged to me after- 
wards she had never seen any man with such 
elegant manners. And this I can very well 



28 ELERS MEMOIRS 

believe, brought up as she was In rural retire- 
ment. 

After spending three or four days at Oxford, 
seeing all the lions, and escorted about by many 
of our young- friends — for two of my cousins 
belonged to Trinity — we returned home to dear 
Filkins Hall. At length my holidays terminated. 
It was arranged that a servant was to accompany 
me early in the morning (six o'clock) to the town of 
Lechlade, three miles off, to meet the London 
coach. After supper I took a final leave of the 
happy party. The three sisters slept in different 
beds in the same larQ^e room. Now, notwith- 
standing that I had both given and received many 
affectionate kisses from the young ladies at parting- 
after supper, I could not resist, as I passed their 
room door in the morning, just peeping in to take 
one last fond look. And there I saw them, all fast 
asleep. On tip-toe, without shoes, in I crept, and 
on the rosy lips of my lovely Sophia I breathed one 
kiss. I did not o-ive her time to scold, for I made 
a most hasty retreat. I never can forget how dull 
and monotonous my father's house appeared to me 
after the delightful five weeks I had spent at my 
uncle's. 

When at school I thought of nothing but Sophia. 
At the same desk sat with me a boy of the name of 
Glegg. He was about three years older than 
myself I confided to him my melancholy, and told 
him I no lonofer took delisfht in those amusements 



SOPHIA'S DEATH 29 

that I once was so fond of. He said : ' I know 
what is the matter with you. I have experienced 
the same uneasiness. You are in love.' And so I 
certainly was. I have since thought I caught the 
infection rather early — little more than fourteen 
years of age. Lord Byron, I think, says he began 
at nine. However, so it was ; my time was come, 
and I took it as I did the measles — all in the natural 
way. I promised my fair cousin to write to her, 
and she sent me an answer filled with all the chit- 
chat of the day ; but all my professions of love she 
invariably used to laugh at, and said it was all 
fancy, that I should get over it, etc. I am con- 
vinced I never made the slightest impression upon 
her, or ever should have done, as I have since been 
informed by ladies who knew her well. After I 
went abroad she formed a most romantic attach- 
ment to a young lady by the name of Arabella Ross. 
At that time Lady E. Butler and the Hon. Miss 
Ponsonby lived in Wales together. Their affection, 
I presume, was founded on similar principles. I 
only received one letter from poor Sophia in the 
East Indies, in answer to one of mine. She wrote 
in good spirits, but said she was ill, with a bad 
cough. Very soon after I read of her death of a 
rapid consumption, and she died at Brompton at the 
early age of twenty-five, leaving the whole of her 
fortune to her friend, Miss Ross, for her life. My 
cousin Louisa married a clergyman of the name of 
Bell, and lived near Oxford. Mary married the 



30 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Hon. George Browne, third son of the first Lord 
Kilmaine. 

My father was on terms of great friendship and 
intimacy with the family of Streatfield, an old 
Kentish family. Mrs. Streatfield, I think, was a 
natural daughter of the last Earl of Leicester. My 
father was executor to Mrs. Perry, of Penshurst 
Place in Kent, grandmother to the present Sir John 
Sidney, Hart. She was great-niece of the last Earl 
of Leicester.^ Hence, I suppose, his intimacy and 
friendship with Mrs, Streatfield, who was always 
very kind to myself and brothers. She had two 
daughters, one of them married to a Mr. Brace- 
bridge, who had an only daughter. Mrs. B. was 
a lovely woman, while her daughter was a very 
plain but clever girl. This was a great fault in 
the eyes of her grandmamma, Mrs. S., whose 
great weakness, like that of King James L, was 
the love of handsome young people. Her eldest 
daughter had a pale, intellectual countenance, very 
clever and accomplished, unmarried, and very 
intimate with the families of the Snows, the Ogles, 
and also with Porteus, Bishop of London, whom I 
used often to meet there. 

^ Mrs. Perry was niece, not great-niece, of Josceline, seventh 
Earl of Leicester. 

Henry Streatfield, of Chiddingstone, Kent, married, at Enfield, 
Anne, natural daughter of Josceline, seventh Earl of Leicester, 
September 25, 1752; their daughter Harriet married Walter 
Bracebridge, second son of Abraham Bracebridge, of Atherstone, 
and died March 4, 1824. 



HUNGERFORD ELERS 31 

My elder brother, Hungerford, had always a 
strong predilection for the Army, and at sixteen 
used constantly, whenever he could steal into the 
Park, to attend the reviews and drills of the 
Guards. I rather think he got one of them to 
teach him the manual and platoon exercise. It so 
happened that he expressed how much he should 
be delighted to get an ensigncy in a regiment in 
a conversation he had with Mrs. and Miss Streat- 
field. Lord Amherst at that time (1794) was 
Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and Miss Streat- 
field mentioned my brother's name to him and his 
great desire to become a soldier, adding that he was 
already one in a very essential point, that o^ knowing 
his duty and exercise by attending the drills in the 
Park as an amateur. This pleased the old General, 
and shordy after my brother saw himself gazetted to 
an ensigncy in the 43rd Regiment, under orders for 
the West Indies. At this time that country was 
afflicted with the yellow fever, and few escaped who 
went there. My poor mother was quite horror- 
struck. However, my brother did not go there at 
that time, but was ordered down to Shrewsbury to 
recruit. 



CHAPTER III 

l-Alwaid Elers enters the Navy — The Queen and Edward's minia- 
ture — Mother dies — Tier jewels — Ga/ctted to the 90th Regi- 
ment — I'^xehanges into the 12th — Sartorial splendours — 
C'olonel Aston. 

I r was about this time my poor father became in- 
volved in great pecimiary difficulties by becominer 
security for a friend for a large sum oi' money. His 
friend lied to the Continent, leaving my father 
answerable for his debts. My youngest brother at 
this time having long before evinced a desire to 
enter the Navy, and as it had become absolutely 
necessary we should (I mean we boys) be sent into 
the world to push oiu^ fortunes, Edward was fitted 
out for sea as a midshipman, and was confided to 
the care of Captain Moss, of the J/cn/za/t/ frigate, 
about to proceed to the North Seas. I believe this 
brave officer fell after, in one of Lord Nelson's 
actions. My brother Edward at this time was a 
tall, thin, pale-faced boy of about twelve or thirteen 
years old. He was the whole of a hard winter in 
the North Seas, feeding on salt beef and drinking 
his allowance of grog. He became in that crtiise a 

[32] 



EDWARD Ef.ERS 



33 



fine, handsome hoy, so j^rown and altered] for 
the better that his poor mother did not knrjw 
him. 

At this time an artist was painting a miniature of 
me, and my little brother accompanied me in his 
blue jacket, white trousers, dirk and cockade in his 
hat to the painte.r's house. The artist was so much 
pleased with his apj^earance that he made a water- 
colour drawing of him, which satisfied him so 
well that he sent it amc^ng other drawings to .Saint 
James's Palace for the inspection of Her Majesty 
and the Princesses. The Queen was delighted with 
the sketch of the little sailor, and asked many 
questions about his name, etc. My brother after- 
wards sailed with Captain Warre, and saw some 
figiuing. Me was one among the other gallant 
fellows who took a PVench vessel, and enclosed 
a tri - coloured cockade to my mother as a 
trophy. 

My poor mother had for many winters suffered 
very severely from asthma, and each winter it grew 
worse. The misfortunes of my father, added to the 
separation from her two children, I think, hastened 
her death. She died one evening after being confined 
lo her bed for about a week. This was about the 
middle of December, 1795. You may imagine my 
feelings, left alone by myself, my father and two 
brothers absent, no one but the three servants with me 
— the; faithful James Pearson, his wife, my mother's 
maid, and the cook. They (the females) were quite 

3 



34 ELERS MEMOIRS 

worn out by their attendance, and by a desperate 
effort I resolved to pass that night in sitting up in 
the same room with my poor dead mother as the 
hist mark of my respect to her. ]\Iy mother was 
buried in the vault of her family at Bromley, where 
her brother, John Debonnaire, was placed the 
September preceding. I wrote to my brother, 
who was then at Shrewsbury, and he came up to 
my mother's funeral. My aunt and cousin, the 
Debonnaires, were very kind to us during this 
melancholy period, and Miss Debonnaire,^ with the 
assistance of a Mr. Hutchinson, a worthy, good man, 
notwithstanding that he was a lawyer by profession, 
was my mother's trustee. He arranged the dis- 
posal of the lease and furniture of the house, as also 
of my mother's diamonds, the produce of which was 
to be divided amono- us three children. We were 
shamefully cheated with respect to the jewels. As 
a proof, there were three jewellers appointed to 
value the diamonds and trinkets. It so happened 
that a bracelet containing my father's picture, set 
round with sixty brilliants, a most exquisite painting 
by the famous Smart, was valued at ten guineas 
only. My brother expressed a wish to have this 
picture and bought it in. Many years after, on the 
death of my brother, this picture came into my 
possession, and I found that the diamonds were 

^ ' My aunt' — i.e., Ann, ncc Tennant, wife of John Debon- 
naire; and 'cousin,' their daughter Anne, who married Wilham 
Tennant, of Little Aston Hall, County Stafford. 



THE HUTCHINSONS 2S 

worth four times that amount. If, therefore, this 
one article of small value was so far underestimated, 
how much must wc have lost upon earrings, neck- 
lace, etc., which were worth much more? I was 
between eighteen and nineteen when I lost my 
mother, and the little property I acquired by that 
sad event I could not receive until I was of age. 
The same kind friend who procured my brother his 
commission procured me one also through Mr. Green- 
wood, the Army agent. 

When our house was disposed of, I had an intro- 
duction to an old lady of the name of Leigh, who 
had a neat, small house in Store Street, Bedford 
Square. She resided with her unmarried daughter, 
an old maid. With these ladies I lodged until the 
month of April, I used to breakfast with them, and 
I had an invitation from my kind friend Mr. Hut- 
chinson to dine with his family and pass my time 
with them whenever I was disengaged. In those 
days, although seventy years of age, he could drink 
his wine and enjoy the company of young people, 
and his wife was just as good-humoured as himself. 
They had three daughters ; one a decided old maid, 
the second about thirty-two, and the youngest about 
twenty-eight. I used to ride about the town with 
the ladies in the morning, and played cards with 
them in the evening, generally getting home to 
Store Street by midnight. 

I was taught to expect that I should see my name 
in the Gazette very shortly, when to my great joy 

3—2 



36 ELERS MEMOIRS 

one Saturday in the month of March I saw : 
'George Elers, gent., to be Ensign without pur- 
chase in the 90th Regiment.' I was highly pleased, 
and read it ovaT and over aoain — the first time I 
ever saw my name in print. I dare say there are 
many old officers who, if they confessed the truth, 
once felt as I did on a similar occasion. It was the 
fashion in those days to be dressed in the evening 
at the theatres in shoes and stockinofs and a cocked 
hat. I was already provided with the hat, and, as 
you may suppose, I lost no time in mounting the 
cockade and a rosette for my hair. Colonel Graham 
was our Colonel ; he raised the corps, became Lord 
Lynedoch, and is still alive. The regiment was 
stationed in the West Indies. I had not been a 
fortnight an Ensio^n when I had the offer of a 
lieutenancy in the 12th Regiment under Colonel 
William Picton, one of the Minden heroes. The 
two Lieutenant-Colonels were Henry Hervey Aston 
and Thomas Grey, the former about thirty-five, the 
latter about twenty-four. They were two of the 
handsomest men I ever saw, particularly Aston, 
who was so celebrated as a man of ton and fashion. 
Grey^ was the son of General Sir Charles Grey, and 
brother to the statesman, Earl Grey. I purchased 
this commission, and gave ^100 above the regulated 
price ; but it was a great step to get so early, and, 
besides, I had the advantage of a most particular 

^ No ' Thomas Grey ' is to be found in the ' Peerage ' sub ' Earl 
Grey '; possibly it is an error for ' William.' 



JOINS I2TH REGIMENT 37 

introduction to Colonel Aston, who, until his 
lamented death, ever treated me like a father. My 
outfit cost me about ^300. I had nothing to do 
but order what I wanted, and the bills were sent 
in to Mr. Hutchinson, who paid them. No officer, 
with the exception of Colonel Aston, had such a 
kit. I had six regimental jackets, besides dress- 
coats, great-coat, shirts about twelve dozen, and 
everything in the same proportion. My lieutenancy 
was dated April 12, 1796. I waited upon my 
Colonel, who at that time was living at Nerot's 
Hotel, King Street, St. James's. I was aware, even 
in those days, of the effect of first impressions, and 
took great pains to be dressed well on my first 
appearance before him. His features and fine figure 
I knew perfectly by sight. I was dressed in black 
coat and waistcoat, white worsted pantaloons, and 
neat Hessian half- boots, with a crape hat-band. I 
was ushered into his dressing-room, where he was 
putting the last finish to his toilet. I told him who 
I was. He shook me by the hand, eyed me most 
critically from head to foot, said I turned out well, 
and finished by asking me the name of my tailor. 
I was ashamed to confess it was an obscure one by 
the name of Weston, then not known, but after- 
wards the celebrated artiste for the Prince of Wales. 
He recommended me strongly to join my regiment 
without delay, adding : ' I shall be down myself in 
a day or two, and I should wish you to learn a little 
of your duty before we embark for the East Indies, 



38 ELERS MEMOIRS 

to which place we are under orders,' I saw him 
step into his curricle with all the grace of an Apollo; 
he once more shook me by the hand, and told me 
I should make a very fair light infantryman, and 
wished me good-morning. 



CHAPTER IV 

Joins his regiment at Newport — Placed in light infantry company 
— A pugnacious Irishman — Embarks for India — Lady pas- 
sengers — The Prince of Wales's commendation — The wine 
limit — An unlucky accomplishment. 

In a very few days, by the kind assistance of one 
of my fair friends, Miss N. Hutchinson, every- 
thing was packed up in my trunks — canteens and 
camp equipage, with various letters of introduction 
and recommendation, among others one from Lady 
f3urnaby to Rear-Admiral Rainier, commanding the 
Indian Fleet ; Sir WilHam Burnaby, an old Post- 
Captain, was my brother Edward's godfather, and 
a very old friend of my father's. Lady Burnaby 's 
sister, a Miss Molyneux, afterwards was married 
to my first cousin. Dr. William Colston, who is now 
living, and has the excellent living of West Lydford, 
Somersetshire. 

I started by one of the Gosport coaches, and 
arrived at the Indian Arms at Gosport in the 
evening. The inn was all bustle and confusion — 
plenty of officers, like myself, on the route to join 
their respective regiments. My regiment was 
stationed at Newport, Isle of Wight. The next 

[39] 



40 ELERS MEMOIRS 

morning I was much disgusted at the dirty bed and 
room I had been put into ; the chambermaid, I 
conclude, saw that I was a young Johnny Raw, and 
that anything would do for such a young one as me. 
I proceeded to Cowes, hired a chaise, and was put 
down at the Bugle. I inquired for the regiment, 
and was told that they were at exercise a short 
distance out of town. I strolled out to them, when 
I saw the regiment formed into square and a punish- 
ment taking place. I got into conversation with a 
handsome young officer I had seen in London with 
some friends of mine a few days before, though I 
then did not know who he was. He proved to be 
the Hon. John Meade, a son of the Earl of Clan- 
william. The punishment over, the commanding 
officer gave the word : ' Attention ! Numbers 
four, five, six, will stand fast. Remaining com- 
panies will wheel back four paces. Right about 
face! Quick march!' And then, as if by magic, 
the regiment was formed into open column of com- 
panies. The band struck up, the word ' Quick 
march!' was given, and I, by the side of my 
honourable friend, marched into Newport, keeping 
the step like an old soldier instead of a raw recruit. 
I shall never forget the shrillness of the fifes, the 
effect of the hollow, martial sounds of the drums 
which played, and on their ceasing at intervals 
being taken up by the band. I literally trod on 
air. The battalion having been dismissed, my new 
friend the Honourable introduced me to all the 



REGIMENTAL VETERANS 41 

officers, I having previously told him my name and 
rank. The officers crowded round me, and dear 
old Jack Picton, the Major, came up to me, shook 
me by the hand, and said : ' You will, of course, 
join us at our mess at five o'clock ?' Next to him 
came up our paymaster and second, Captain Allen, 
together with the Captain of Grenadiers, Captain 
Craigie. All of these were the oldest veterans in 
the Service, and had served with the regiment at the 
siege of Gibraltar. I shall never forget their fine 
martial figures and swarthy complexions. Major 
Picton was the very image of his gallant brother, 
Sir Thomas, who fell at Waterloo, though not so 
tall — a compact, strong man of about forty years of 
age, and in height about 5 feet 9 inches. I dined 
at the mess, and notwithstanding that I drank wine 
with all the officers who were drinking wine, I did 
not get tipsy. I was sufficiently on my guard not 
to make a fool of myself on my first entrde. I 
observed that the officers who drank wine were 
chiefly the senior ones, and that the subalterns, 
chiefly very young men and almost all young Irish 
officers, had lately joined from Irish regiments 
reduced of very high number— I really think from 
a regiment numbering as high as 130. 

In the course of two or three days Colonel Aston 
joined the regiment, and redeemed his promise to 
me, for I was immediately appointed to the light 
infantry company. I was obliged to send up to 
London for a sabre and wings instead of epaulettes, 



42 ELERS MEMOIRS 

iind lots of narrow gold lace for my scarlet waistcoat. 
We wore blue pantaloons edged with scarlet, hats 
covered over with the finest black ostrich feathers, 
with a stand-up feather composed of red and black. 
They looked v^ery handsome, but were expensive, 
particularly when those who could afford it had 
about three times the quantity they needed to wear. 
A ofood hard shower of rain soon took their smart- 
ness off, but they were only adopted by ourselves 
and the Soth Regiment expressly for the East 
Indies. I never shall forget the first time I saw 
Colonel Aston in his regimentals — his fine military 
figure, and all his appointments fitting so well. 
How many hundred officers have 1 since seen, but 
not one to be compared with his noble, chivalrous 
bearing, not even his friend Arthur Wellesley, now 
the great and illustrious Duke ! 

I was put in orders for the light company, 
commanded by Captain Woodall ; my brother 
subalterns were two Irishmen, George Nixon and 
Perceval. Colonel Aston exercised the regiment 
every morning for about a couple of hours, and the 
young subalterns were drilled by the second Major, 
Bellairs, a very kind, brave, but indifferent officer. 
He had been at Gibraltar, but he would have been 
sadly puzzled to put the regiment through any of 
the manoeuvres. I think at this time I puzzled the 
young men of the regiment and made the old ones 
smile. My looks and slight figure made me appear 
about sixteen, when in fact I was near nineteen ; 



A FIRE-EATING SUBALTERN 43 

having, moreover, led a gay life in town, I had 
acquired quite the manners of one of the initiated in 
fashionable life, and was very different from the raw 
Irish lads who composed the greater part of the 
subalterns. One of them, of the name of George 
Eld Derby, a youth of about my own age, thus very 
gravely addressed the mess one evening after 
dinner : ' By Jasus, gentlemen, I am conscious you 
must have the meanest opinion of my courage. 
Here have I been no less than six weeks with the 
regiment, and the divil of a duel have I fought yet. 
Now, Captain Craigie, you are the senior Captain 
of the regiment, and if you plase I will begin with 
you first ; so name your time and place.' Now, 
very many of these subaltern officers were of the 
stamp of my friend Mr. Derby. So a man could 
not be too guarded in his conduct with such heroes. 
Nothing, however, occurred unpleasant previous to 
embarkation ; but in the two months spent on board 
some of the ships' quarrels occurred that were settled 
by an appeal to the pistols. Several duels took 
place at the Cape, but none terminated fatally, 
though some officers got badly wounded. We had 
no quarrels on board our ship. It is true that 
within three weeks of our arrival at Madras I 
received an insult, and immediately sent a challenge 
to the officer who had given it, and he very wisely 
made me a most satisfactory apology. My second 
was a regular Irish duellist, and he was perfectly 
satisfied with it, as well as myself. 



44 ELERS MEMOIRS 

But to return once more to Newport and the 
charms of the island. I think their market-day 
was Saturday, when the rural beauties, with their 
fresh butter, eggs, and chickens, appeared in the 
market, blooming with youth, freshness, and inno- 
cence. What pleasant rides have I taken, and 
generally by myself, in the most unfrequented and 
romantic parts of the island, often dining in a fisher- 
man's hut or little, neat, sanded parlour off eggs 
and bacon and a pint of ale, attended by some of the 
rural beauties of the island! How well I remember 
Shanklin Chine, and, looking over the high cliff, 
contemplating the blue and sparkling sea that I was 
so soon to be fioatino- over to distant climes, in all 
probability never again to return ! But these melan- 
choly reflections were not of long duration. I had 
youth, health, and was naturally of a sanguine dis- 
position, and I had, moreover, money sufficient in 
my purse to bear all reasonable expenses, with some 
besides for my less affluent brother officers. I soon 
found out that some of the juniors found it a hard 
matter to pay their mess bills, for which I was 
extremely sorry. I believe it was generally thought 
that I was a man of fortune, from my apparent 
indifference to expefise and my anxiety of having 
the opportunity of purchasing a company. The 
first surmise was quite a mistake, for I kept in my 
pocket-book a regular account of my expenditure 
and receipts, only I took care that no one should 
know it. 



EMBARKATION 45 

The day at length arrived for our embarkation. 
The two flank companies, the colours of the regi- 
ment, the band and Colonel Aston, were embarked 
on board the Rockingham, East Indiaman, 800 tons, 
the Hon. Hugh Lindsay commander. The other 
part of the regiment was distributed on board the 
Hawkesbury, Melville Castle, and Air lie Castle, all 
Indiamen of about the same size. I think the Fox 
frigate, Captain Malcolm, was to proceed with us to 
the Cape, and the Tremendous (74) into a certain 
latitude. For it was the very height of the war, 
and the Dutch fleet was at sea looking out for us. 
They must have been near us, as they arrived at 
the Cape only about ten days before us, and the 
first news we heard on our arriving there was that 
they had been all captured by Lord Keith. 

The bustle and confusion getting on board, which 
was in the first week in June, the decks covered 
with knapsacks, officers' baggage, etc., ducks, pigs, 
poultry, sheep, etc., all quacking, squeaking, crowing 
and baaing at the same time, was quite ludicrous. 
The chief officer showed us our cabin. Colonel 
Aston's cabin was divided from ours, and had a 
quarter gallery. We had the remaining part of the 
cabin, with a partition for the other part of the 
quarter gallery, for our own use and that of the 
officers of the ship. We were eleven officers stowed 
away in standing berths and cots in a cabin not 
more than, I should think, ten feet square, besides 
the rudder-head, which took up very considerable 



46 ELERS MEMOIRS 

room. I swiino In :i cot, as well as Captain Craigie 
and the sufi^eon, Dr. Can^pbell ; JNIeade, Crawford, 
Robert Nixon, his Lieutenants, lay in the standing 
berths. Woodall, George Nixon, and Perceval were 
siowixl awav in the same manner, and iMisign King 
in a cot. This was our parly. In ilu^ morning we 
were attended by our servants, which just doubled 
the number of our party in the small cabin of ten 
leet square, or at most twelve. Eight o'clock was 
the hour o\' breakfast, three o'clock dinner, six 
o'clock tea and coflee. nine o'clock sui")per ; and 
meals were punctual to a minute. Both subalterns 
and men kept watch on deck, from eight to twelve, 
from twelve to four, with two what they call dog- 
watches — that is, two hours from four to six, and 
six to eight. After bre^d-ifast the men were put 
through the nianual and platoon exercise, and we 
had parades twice a dav. when every man was 
expected to be perfectly clean. A subaltern of the 
day was appointed whose duty it was to see the 
hammocks all stowed away on deck, the decks 
swept and perfectly clean, and the lights extin- 
guished at nine o'clock. 

We had among our passengers four ladies : two 
very tine girls, the two Miss Smiths, about seven- 
teen and nineteen, just come from the fashionable 
schools of London, Queen Square and Bloomsbury 
(they were the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Petrie, 
the second in Council at Madras) ; a Miss Payton 
and a Miss Chinnery, her friend — the fust a very 



LADY PASSENGERS 47 

handsome old maid about thirty-six, the other a 
good-tempered but very plain girl of about my own 
age. The superiority of the two Miss Smiths was 
very obvious. Jemima, the eldest, was a most 
incorrigible flirt, very clever, very satirical, and 
aiming at universal conquest. Her sister, Hen- 
rietta, was more retiring, and I think more admired ; 
at least, I know Colonel Aston was much struck 
with her pretty little figure and lovely neck, and she 
afterwards made a conquest of the future hero, 
Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who arrived at the Cape 
with the 33rd Regiment a few months before us. 
Mamma Payton, too, had her admirers. She was 
very quiet and matronly, and rolled about her fine 
black eyes at dinner in every direction. Without 
being absolutely vulgar, she had no polish or refine- 
ment, and had evidently not been used to fashion- 
able company, while the two Miss Smiths clearly 
had. As to poor Miss Chinnery, no one ever 
thought of her. Poor soul ! she had neither beauty 
nor talent ; but she was good-natured and inoffen- 
sive, and thankful when she received attention. 
There were some fine young men going out as 
writers, particularly John Pyng. His father was 
afterwards Lord Torrington.^ He was about my 
age, and had seen the best and highest society. 
He was remarkably handsome and a favourite of 
the Prince of Wales. Writing of that illustrious 

^ ' John Byng,' third son of the fifth Viscount Torrington; died 
in 181 1. 



48 ELERS MEMOIRS 

personaoe, I cannot resist repeating — pardon my 
vanity — what I overheard him say to Lady William 
Russell in the crush-room at the Opera — ' Look, 
Lady William, at that handsome boy !' I was then 
about seventeen. I am conscious it is a great piece 
of ridiculous vanity recording this trifling circum- 
stance, which I hope will be the last, as it is the first, 
instance of such folly on my part. 

We had all our respective places at dinner — 
Captain Lindsay in the centre ; at his right hand 
were placed the two Miss Smiths, and on his left 
the other two ladies. Opposite the Captain sat 
Colonel Aston, and I on his left. Crawford and 
Captain Swinton (74th Regiment) sat together on 
my left. Poor Captain Lindsay a day or two after 
we were on board said : ' Gentlemen, I propose we 
should limit the consumption of wine to a pint per 
man. as I shall not have sufficient otherwise to last 
out the voyage.' Now, that ought to have been 
quite sufficient, but in those days it was the fashion 
to drink, and as our young gentlemen did not like 
to be limited to any particular allowance there was 
a dead silence. Captain Lindsay then said : 'It is 
not the wine I care for, but, as we are now fairly off, 
I have not the means of getting a fresh supply.' 
' Pray don't make yourself uneasy on that head,' 
said Colonel Aston, 'as I happen to have about a 
couple of thousand pounds' worth in the fleet, and 
should you run short I shall be happy to supply you.' 
We heard nothino- further about the wine after that. 



SAMPSON WOOD 49 

Our band played generally every day during 
dinner and in the course of the evening, when the 
other ships would sail close alongside of us and 
exchange a few words, they being attracted by the 
band and our young ladies. Twice a week we had 
dancing, and every Saturday night we drank a 
health to our sweethearts and wives, according to 
custom. I was always fond of singing, and had a 
friend who had the most beautiful tenor I ever 
heard. We used to meet at a friend's chambers 
in the Temple, and many is the merry night we 
passed there until morning warned us to depart. 
Our principal beverage was punch. My friend was 
only a clerk in the Stamp Office, but well connected, 
the protege of Mr. Tickell, patronized by Sheridan, 
Richardson, etc., and nephew to Mr. Sober, of Baker 
Street, Portman Square, with whom he lived. His 
name was Sampson Tickell Wood. He soon sang 
away the heart of Sarah Sober, his pretty cousin, 
and ran off with her and married her. Just at this 
time I mentioned to my kind friend Mrs. Streat- 
field the indiscretion of the youthful couple, and 
introduced the lovely Sarah and her .spouse to her 
and Miss S. The Bishop of London was enchanted 
with his singing, and through my introduction he at 
length found his way into Carlton House, and from 
his connection with Sheridan, together with his 
accomplishments, the junior clerk in the Stamp 
Office at Somerset House got into many of the 
gay parties that were given by His Royal High- 

4 



50 ELERS MEMOIRS 

ness. The consequence of all this was that my 

friend Sam oot into the Kino^'s Bench, and his 

pretty httle wife Sarah took the opportunity of 

again running away ; the partner of her flight this 

second time was Tom Thornhill,^ a young man of 

large fortune in Norfolk, who, after Sam's death, 

married her. I understand Thornhill paid Sam's 

debts and gave him £2,000 on the condition that 

he did not prosecute him. All this I learned on 

my return from India. I saw poor Sam after, 

but never spoke to him, as I did not approve of 

that sort of compromise. 

When we — that is, the fleet — were Ivins^ at the 

Mother Bank, Colonel Aston kept a sailing vessel, 

about thirty tons, in case the fleet should get under 

way, in readiness to convey him on board from 

Portsmouth, where Mrs. Aston was living. The 

nioht before we sailed I was walkinq^ the deck in 

the afternoon, when he said : ' Come, young one, 

will you come with me and take jvur /asl /ook at 

Portsmouth i^' (Poor fellow ! it was /lis /as/ /oo/\) I 

said I should like it much. When we arrived at 

Portsmouth, he said : ' Call upon me at nine o'clock 

at Hammond's, in the High Street, as I am now 

ooinq; to take leave of Mrs. Aston. Take care vou 

are not later, and go and amuse yourself till then.' 

I was punctual, and we went on board the yacht. 

He was silent all the time we were on board, and, I 

thought, melancholy. 

^ 'Tom Thornhill,' Thomas Thornhill, of Fixby, County Yorks, 
and Riddlesworth, County Norfolk. 



CHAPTER V 

Crossing the Line — Arrival at the Cape — Captured Dutch rnen-of- 
war — Dutch fare — Constantia — Colonel Arthur Wellesley — 
His gratitude — A timely loan — Arrival at Madras — Fort 
St. George — The Nabob of Arcot — A Minden veteran — Lord 
Hobart, Governor of Madras — A lovely termagant. 

Thk next morning, June lo, we made sail. In the 
course of a few days we got into very warm weather 
— warmer than I ever felt it before. But we amused 
ourselves, some with walking the deck, others read- 
ing, some playing backgammon, others chess, the 
ladies playing on the piano or drawing. In short, 
it appeared quite a party of pleasure. We passed 
Madeira about twenty miles off, and saw the Peak 
of Teneriffe and the Cape Verd Islands. We 
only saw one small Portuguese vessel, which we 
boarded, and got some delicious oranges. W^e 
passed the equinoctial line, and went through the 
wonted ceremony of receiving old Neptune, and pay- 
ing the usual forfeit by those who passed it for the 
first time. Here we were becalmed for ten days or 
a fortnight. It was intensely hot, and we suffered 
from a most tormenting skin eruption called the 
prickly heat. At length the long-wished-for breeze 

[ 51 ] 4. — 2 



52 ELERS MEMOIRS 

came, and we were once more in motion. Nothing 
can possibly be more grand and sublime than the 
rising and setting of the sun in these latitudes, and 
the moonlight nights are quite delicious. The phos- 
phoric particles in the sea are wonderful, and truly- 
beautiful. Off the Cape we experienced a gale, and 
the sea ran very high. It assumed a form I never 
before saw ; what they call the trough of the sea 
appeared at least a mile long between one wave and 
the next, which obliged us to fasten down our dead- 
lights. At length one fine morning the man at the 
masthead sang out ' Land ahead !' This was very 
early in the morning, and by sunset we had cast 
anchor in Table Bay, after a voyage of two months. 
It soon got dark, but the next morning I was up 
betimes, and the town and huge mountain looked as 
if hanging over the ship, although we were at least 
two miles distant. The houses looked very neat 
and white, though we were too far off to see any- 
thing very distinctly. 

The regiment did not disembark, but the officers 
were allowed to go on shore, and a few of the men 
by turns. We found the Bay full of ships of war : 
Lord Keith's squadron and the Dutch ships he had 
captured, together with our little fleet. I only 
recollect one of the Dutch ships, the Van Troinp, 
where were some officers of the Scotch Brigade. I 
went to dine with a Major Ewen of that corps, 
when it suddenly came on a gale of wind, and I 
was detained there all night. These gales often 



CAPE TOWN 53 

come on very suddenly, and will in an instant lay a 
* 74 ' on her beam ends. I met two old school- 
fellows at the Cape ; one an Acting-Lieutenant on 
board the Van Tromp frigate, who had lost a leg in 
the service. His name was Fisher, and he was son 
to Dr. Fisher, who lived with Storace, the singer. 
The other, a young man, was a surgeon of the 
garrison who invited me to spend a few days at 
his quarters, and mounted me upon one of his 
unshod Cape horses. The horses are never shod. 
I found it pleasant riding out in the cool of the 
evening. We used to dine at the house of a Dutch 
officer by name of Scholts. It was very unpleasant 
sitting down to such immense quantities of meat 
swimming in oil, and such a variety of dishes, not 
one fit to eat, and the Cape wine was execrable. 
He kept a board and lodging house, where I 
occasionally met officers of our different regiments 
quartered at the Cape. There were the 33rd, newly 
arrived ; the Scotch Brigade ; the 78th ; 86th — all, 
like ourselves, destined for India, as also the 80th, a 
regiment very much resembling ours. I think it 
was raised by Lord Paget, the present Marquis of 
Anglesey. The only difference in dress was this : 
the 80th wore a white ostrich feather, and we black 
and red. These two regiments were, in point of 
uniform, exactly alike, and it is not to be wondered 
at, as Lord Paget and Colonel Aston were great 
friends, and both had the best possible taste in 
dress ; and I dare say they laid their heads 



54 . ELERS MEMOIRS 

together to dress their reoriments as alike as 
possible. 

The regiments of the line in those days were very 
badly dressed, and on our arrival at Madras we 
were the pattern for all the East India regiments 
on the coast. Nothing could be more ludicrous 
ihan the dress of the Company's officers at that 
period, some wearing shoes and buckles on guard ; 
others shoe-strings, their facings not more than 
two inches broad ; epaulettes not fastened to the 
shoulder, but hanging down upon their breast. 
One of their Generals I have seen with a pair of 
black silk smalls and stockings to match, white 
waistcoat, and a General's red coat. The name of 
this officer was Sir Eccles Nixon. There were 
also at the Cape several regiments above the 
number of ninety-two that I cannot recollect, also 
the 28th Light Dragoons. We used to make up 
parties in large waggons to go into the interior. 
Some of ours went as far as eighty miles. The 
farthest I went was on horseback, broiling in the 
sun, as far as Constantia, the vineyard where they 
make the celebrated wine. The oranges here were 
delicious. In the evening we used to dance. Some 
of the Dutch girls were very pretty, and some 
wealthy. One of them fell in love with one of our 
subalterns, and offered herself and I know not how 
many thousand dollars to the young- gentleman. 
But they were not accepted. 

The slave girls are, in general, fine girls, and 



COLONEL WELLESLEY ^S 

some very fair, being the offspring of Dutchmen 
by native women. They (the proprietors) rather 
encourage than otherwise the intercourse between 
the officers and their slaves, as a matter of traffic. 
When Dutch women get married they are pretty, 
rosy girls of some shape ; but no sooner do they 
get married and have a family than they grow 
enormously fat and out of all grace and proportion. 
They are very fond, when young, of dancing. 

Captain Ruding, one of ours, a young man of 
ancient family, and heir to a Leicestershire estate of 
five thousand a year, just of age, fell in love with 
Jemima Smith, and after a ten days' courtship was 
led, nothing loth, to the altar. 

Captain Lindsay, on our arrival at the Cape, took 
a very commodious house in the town for himself 
and the four ladies. With their attraction the house 
was filled with all the principal officers, visiting and 
paying their respects from morning till night, 
among others the afterwards celebrated hero, 
Colonel the Hon. Arthur Wellesley, at that time 
(September, 1796) just turned twenty-seven years 
of age. At this time he was all life and spirits. 
In height he was about 5 feet 7 inches, with a long, 
pale face, a remarkably large aquiline nose, a clear 
blue eye, and the blackest beard I ever saw. He 
was remarkably clean in his person, and I have 
known him shave twice in one day, which I believe 
was his constant practice. His features always 
reminded me of John Philip Kemble, and, what is 



56 ELERS MEMOIRS 

more remarkable, I observed, many years after, the 
great likeness between him and the performer. 
Mr. Charles Yoiino-, which he told me he had often 
heard remarked. He spoke at this time remarkablv 
quickly, with, 1 think, a very, very slight lisp. Me 
had verv narrow jaw-bones, antl there was a orcat 
peculiarity in his ear. which I never observed but in 
one other person, the late Lord Byron — the lobe 
of the ear uniting to the cheek. He had a par- 
ticular way, when pleased. o( pursing up his mouth. 
I have often observed it when he has been thinking 
abstractedly. He got his brevet rank oi' Colonel on 
May I. 1796. as did also his friend Colonel Aston ; 
but Aston was just senior to him. I believe they 
were both Lieutenant-Colonels o( 1 703. and were 
only three years in that rank. 

I believe Colonel Wellesley was very much in 
debt and embarrassed when he left England, and a 
small tradesman in Dublin was o\' great assistance 
to him by the loan of four or live hundred pounds, 
which on his arrival in India in due course of time 
was repaid ; and I have heard that on his return 
from India he walked into the shop of the trades- 
man, a boot and shoe maker, and asked him if he 
recollected him. The man said ' No.' 'Well.' said 
Sir Arthur, who was Secretary to the Duke of 
Richmond, ' can I be of any service to you ?' The 
man said : ' I want nothing for myself, but I have a 
son.' ' Give me his name,' said Sir Arthur ; ' you did 
me a kindness once, and I do not forget it.' He got 



A GENEROUS ACT 57 

the man's son a place of ^^400 per annum. It gives 
me pleasure to record this anecdote of the Duke of 
Wellington, who has not a very tender or feeling 
heart. And in this instance I think he felt himself 
under an obligation to the man he did not forget, 
and it was his i^ride as well as principle, together 
with the man's answer, ' I want nothing for myself,' 
that determined Sir Arthur to provide so hand- 
somely for his son. I know of another instance of 
his liberality of which he told me himself, but with- 
out any ostentation, only froni my being a friend 
of the husband of the fair lady to whom his kind- 
ness and liberality were directed. Major William 
Ashley Sturt, of the 80th Regiment, a young man 
from the Guards, just before he left England, after 
committing all sorts of follies, concluded by marry- 
ing a beautiful woman of the establishment of a 
notorious woman living in Berkeley Street, a house 
much resorted to by men of fashion. Mrs. Sturt 
arrived in the year i8or at Madras without a 
sixpence. I at this time was living, on a visit with 
Colonel Wellesley, at a palace of Tippoo Sahib's, 
just outside the fort of Seringapatam. Major Sturt 
was with his regiment a great distance from Madras, 
and was far from rich, so in her distress, and being 
a stranger in a foreign country, she wrote to her old 
friend Colonel Wellesley, who by return of post 
sent her an order upon his banker for ^400. My 
dear friend Colonel Aston was on terms of great 
friendship with Colonel Wellesley, and introduced 



^^ 



58 ELERS MEMOIRS 

me to him, which is the only way I can account for 
his distinguishing me five years after in the way he 
did in preference to other officers of my regiment. 

After spending two months very pleasantly at the 
Cape, we proceeded to Madras under convoy of the 
old Trident, a 64-gun ship. We left behind us sick 
poor Lieutenant- Colonel Grey, who shortly after 
died there of an abscess. At Eton he received a 
blow from a cricket-ball, and that eventually caused 
his death. We carried on with us the 33rd Regi- 
ment, commanded by the Honourable Colonel 
Wellesley, destined for Calcutta. Colonel W. 
proceeded in the Princess Charlotte Indiaman. I 
had a very narrow escape, some years after, of being 
captured by the French in this vessel at Vizagapatam. 
We lost one of our ladies, Jemima Smith, now 
Mrs. Ruding, having embarked on board her 
husband's ship, the Melville Castle. We continued 
our voyage, and in about two months anchored in 
Madras Roads on January 9, 1797. The day was 
too far advanced to disembark that evening, so it 
was arranged that the regiment should land the 
next day after an early dinner. The appearance of 
Madras from the roads is not very interesting. 
The coast is flat both to the north and south as far 
as the eye can reach, relieved by no object save the 
cocoa-nut trees and palmyras, and the white foam 
from the tremendous surf constantly rolling in shore, 
the outer surf commencing at least 200 yards from 
shore. No ship's boat, I think, could possibly avoid 



MADRAS 59 

being swamped at Madras. But they have very 
safe and commodious masulah boats, entirely made 
of the cocoa-nut tree, and manned by four or five 
Lascars, who sing in chorus a song that enables 
them to pull all together ; these boats they manage 
with a dexterity which no English sailor could equal. 
By way of additional security in case of a capsize, 
they are attended by two or three catamarans — long 
pieces of wood lashed together, on the top of which 
are perched two natives. They are in no danger of 
being drowned even if they fall off ; they float 
like cork. But the greatest danger is from the 
sharks that abound near the shore. 

We ate our last dinner on board the Rockingham, 
and the regiment landed on the beach of Madras 
between five and six o'clock in the evening. The 
men were marched into the barracks in Fort St. 
George, vacated by the 74th Regiment, while the 
officers received us on the beach and escorted us to 
their mess-room in the fort, where a very handsome 
dinner was provided for us. We had all of us 
previously dined on board of our respective ships ; 
this second dinner, followed up by large quantities 
of madeira and claret, had the natural effect of 
making many of us much the worse for it. Then 
came at a late hour the providing us with beds for 
the night. Each officer of the 74th seemed to vie 
with the other as to who should show us most 
hospitality. I was taken care of by a Lieutenant 
Macleod, the Adjutant of the regiment. And now 



6o ELERS MEMOIRS 

my misery commenced from the mosquitoes. Not 
having been provided with mosquito-curtains, I was 
really devoured, hands, feet, and legs, and as for my 
face, when I looked in the glass I was swelled and 
disfigured to such a degree that I did not know 
myself. Colonel Aston was quite sorry to see me 
such a martyr, and sent me down some curtains 
which he had by him when he expected to go out to 
the West Indies. But the mischief was all done in 
one night. The torment I experienced from these 
insects drove me almost mad. I tore my flesh to 
pieces, particularly my legs and feet. These bites, 
from contact with the stocking, became small ulcers, 
the marks of which I now bear about me, and pre- 
vented me from wearing boots for many weeks, and 
of course I could not mount guard and take my turn 
of the garrison duty. 

We formed an excellent mess. We had, of course, 
our own regimental plate. We found two black 
men, brothers, who agreed to find us an excellent 
dinner, a dessert, and a pint of madeira each man 
for ten pagodas a head monthly ; also twice a week, 
Thursday and Sunday, a better dinner, consisting of 
European articles, such as hams, tongues, cheese, 
etc. But if we exceeded the allowance of wine, 
beer, etc., we had to pay extra. Thursday and 
Sunday were the days we received guests. Our 
members consisted of nearly the whole regiment, 
amounting to between forty and fifty officers. I 
have often seen on the days we had company our 



GARRISON LIFE 6i 

guests nearly three times out numbering ourselves. 
It once occurred to me that I sat up all night and 
went from the mess-table to the morning drill at 
five o'clock. But that happened to me but once. 

The drills, the guards, and the regimental duties 
of the subalterns were rather severe. For instance, 
the first five months, during the hottest part of the 
season, the regiment was formed in the fort, ready 
on the first dawn of day, when the gun was fired and 
the gates opened, to march out of the garrison and 
form on the glacis of the fort. After the reports 
were collected, we marched round several times both 
in slow and quick time, saluting, etc. Afterwards 
many of the eighteen manoeuvres were gone through. 
Then the senior officers were drilled by Major 
Picton and the junior by Major Bellairs. After 
that a few more manoeuvres, and then, the sun 
getting very powerful, we were marched back to our 
quarters. I used on getting to my quarters, when 
I breakfasted at home, to throw off all my clothes 
and lie down on my cot fairly done up and go to 
sleep. I was obliged to get up and dress at twelve 
to attend the Major to practise the sword exercise 
for an hour ; then home, undress, and lie down for a 
couple of hours ; then dress again for a three o'clock 
dinner, and at five the regiment again formed for 
exercise, when we continued till it was too dark. 
And this system continued with little intermission 
until the month of July, when we were delighted at 
the prospect of the regiment going on an expedition 



62 ELERS MEMOIRS 

to capture the island of Manila in conjunction with 
other troops. 

As I have before mentioned, I had a few letters 
of introduction to the people of Madras. I got 
some dinners, and that was all. I presented my 
letter to the old Admiral from Lady Burnaby. He 
said to me : ' Young gentleman, you are in the Army, 
and I can be of no use to you. Had you been in 
the Navy, from the regard I have to Lady Burnaby, 
I would have taken care of your promotion.' Now, 
if my poor brother Edward had had the good 
fortune to have delivered this letter to the Admiral 
instead of me, he would have been pushed on to the 
rank of a Post-Captain instead of dying, after hard 
and gallant services, a Lieutenant. Such are the 
lucky or unlucky events of our lives. 

The earden-houses about Madras are for the most 
part inhabited by the Civil Servants, who live in as 
much luxury as the climate will allow. Their 
houses vary in splendour according to the means of 
their occupiers. For instance, a Member of Council 
will have a house like a man of large fortune in this 
country, while the Writer will have a much smaller 
one, consisting of an entrance-hall, wherein he dines 
and breakfasts, and two bedrooms, one on each side. 
The largest and best houses are all built on the 
ground-floor. None of the houses have ceilings, but 
cloth of pure white is the substitute. But these 
substitutes for a ceiling are only used in the best 
houses by the Civil Servants, who live in every 



i 



LIFE AT MADRAS 63 

respect better than the subaltern ranks of the Army. 
Glass windows are seldom used in India, but 
Venetian blinds and doors are substituted for them 
to get the benefit of the current of air. I have seen 
glass doors and windows at Negapatam and Pondi- 
cherri, the former a Dutch settlement and the latter 
a French one ; but even there they are not common. 
The sea-breeze sets in about 2 p.m. and continues 
until about 4 a.m. Nothing can be more refresh- 
ing than that delightful breeze. Every house has a 
veranda attached to it, where the custom is to take 
exercise by walking in the extreme heat of the day. 
The thermometer in the coolest part of the morning 
is generally in the shade as high as 72°, and 
increases to 82°. In an officer's tent it generally is 
from 90° to loo^ and in the tents used by the private 
soldiers at least 10° higher. When the sea-breeze 
dies away at night the heat is insupportable, and the 
stings of the mosquitoes enough to drive one mad. 

I was truly miserable the first three years I 
was in India ; my last thought as I lay down to 
sleep, and the first when I awoke, was England. 
After that period I got more reconciled to the 
country. I used to ride in the evening, when we 
relaxed in our drill, upon the Mount Road and in 
its environs. The perfume from the hedges was 
delightful, and the trees are always green and 
flourishing, notwithstanding the constant heat and 
never-failing sun. The birds and little gray 
squirrels are quite tame. I had one of the latter, 



64 ELERS MEMOIRS 

who used very often to sleep for hours in my coat- 
sleeve, even when on parade. I had also a small 
monkey, which was very amusing with its tricks. My 
dear friend Colonel Aston had only four horses — 
a pair of large bay horses which he used to drive in 
the curricle he used in England, wherein I used 
sometimes to ride, and two saddle horses ; one, a 
dark iron gray, was a heavy, quiet horse, remark- 
ably steady with troops — he was called Blucskin — 
and the other was a very fine gray Arab, bought of 
Colonel Winch of the 36th for 500 pagodas, and 
named Diomed. This horse afterwards became the 
property of Colonel Wellesley, and was left to him 
by Colonel Aston just before he fought his last and 
fatal duel. 

India in these days is as well known as the 
Continent of Europe. I shall not, therefore, enter 
into any particular detail of it, particularly to you, 
who have passed four or five years there in a 
similar situation as myself. I have only mentioned 
my first impressions. How well I recollect the old 
Nabob of Arcot taking his evening drive on the 
Mount Road in an old-fashioned English post-chaise 
with black postillions, his long and venerable white 
beard, his yellow complexion, turban, and silk dress ! 
He always made every officer he met a profound 
salaam. He lived in some state about two short 
miles from the fort, at or near a place called St. 
Thome. The Mount was distant from Madras 
about ten miles. Here was the station of the 



GENERAL FLOYD 65 

Artillery, and also of the 22nd Light Dragoons, 
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Stapleton Cotton, 
since for his long and gallant services to his country 
ennobled as Viscount Combermere. The Major 
was the Honourable George de Grey, afterwards 
Lord Walsingham. This unfortunate nobleman 
was, together with his lady, burnt to death about 
six or seven years since at their house in Harley 
Street. He fell asleep, and the candle ignited the 
curtains of the bed. De Grey, when I first knew 
him, was not above twenty years of age. Colonel 
Cotton was about five or six years older. The 
Colonel was regarded as a good regimental cavalry 
officer, and was considered so by the old veteran, 
General Floyd, commanding the cavalry, who had 
served as a cornet at the famous Battle of Minden, 
where my regiment was one of the six who gained a 
glorious victory over the French, August i , 1759. We 
used to have the words ' Minden' and 'Gibraltar' 
on our regimental colour, and the latter on our 
breastplates, a great and proud distinction in those 
days. In these times, under the great modern hero, 
there is scarce a reo"iment in the service that has not 
at least half a dozen such honourable memorials. 
When my Colonel, General William Picton, 
received the command of the 12th Regiment, he 
went to Court to return his thanks for the honour 
conferred upon him by George HL His Majesty 
said : ' You must thank Captain Picton, who com- 
manded the Grenadiers of the 12th Regiment at the 

5 



66 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Battle of Minden.' I have seen the original return 
of the killed and wounded on that glorious day. 
They were very severely handled, very few escaping 
being either killed or wounded. 

When we arrived at Madras we found Lord 
Hobart the Governor of the settlement. He had 
lately lost his wife, formerly a Mrs. Adderley. 
With her arrived Miss A. and her brother. Miss A. 
was one of the most beautiful young creatures I ever 
saw, and married only a few months later Captain 
Gardner^ of the Navy. He was son to Lord 
Gardner, the Admiral. I never in my life saw any 
woman with so beautiful a complexion. When in 
England I thought Lady Charlotte Campbell very 
lovely, but she was far surpassed by Mrs. Gardner. 
They lived very unhappily together ; they soon 
after left India, and on their passage home they 
had so violent a quarrel that she flung his picture 
on the deck, stamped her foot upon it, and threw 
her wedding-ring into the sea. There was also 
a Mrs. Campbell, the wife of Captain C. of the 
Company's Artillery — a very fine woman. Both 
these ladies were much admired by Colonel Aston. 
There was a good deal of what the ladies call 
flirtation going on among these ladies with their 
admirers, but nothing more — at least, not at that 

^ ' Captain Gardner,' Hon. Alan Hyde Gardner, afterwards 
second Lord Gardner. Married, March 9, 1796, Maria Elizabeth, 
only daughter of Thomas Adderley, of Innishannon, County 
Cork. Divorced 1805. She married, secondly, Henry Jadis. 



AN ELOPEMENT 67 

time. They both went home at the same time, if 
not in the same ship. The lovely Mrs. Gardner 
afterwards eloped with Mr. Jadis. It is only a few 
years since a child, born before a formal separation 
took place, tried to establish his claim to the 
Gardner peerage. But he lost his claim after a 
long and severe investigation. It all turned on the 
possibility of the period of gestation extending to 
ten months. We used to have very pleasant balls 
at the Mount. Colonel Aston often drove me over 
to them, and we used to sleep at Colonel Cotton's 
house. 



CHAPTER VI 

Expedition against Manila — A naval hero — Penang — Expedition 
abandoned — Captain Winstone's death — Return to India — 
Camp life — Conjeveram pagodas — Tanjore — Vellum— Suttee 
— Revolution at Tanjore — Arnee — A regimental quarrel — 
A duel in Ceylon — Colonel Aston killed in a duel. 

It was the beginning of the month of August, 1797, 
when an expedition was prepared to proceed against 
Manila. I never shall forget the considerate kind- 
ness of Colonel Aston respecting my comfort on 
that occasion. I could not get any native servant 
willing to embark with me. They have a prejudice 
against going on board ship. I was embarked on 
board H.M.S. Trident, 64 guns, Captain Milner. 
Only half the regiment was to proceed at first 
with the first division. I remember our Captain- 
Lieutenant was Captain William O'Brien, the present 
Marquess of Thomond. He was on board the same 
ship with me, a truly noble and high-spirited young- 
man, a great favourite of mine, universally beloved 
and respected by the regiment. Colonel Aston sent 
me a Portuguese servant, but he was so stupid he 
was not of the smallest use to me. I was obliged 
to get one of our men to attend upon me. I did 

[68 ] 



PENANG 69 

not require much — merely cleaning my boots and 
slinging my cot, fetching water, etc. I messed with 
the Lieutenants in the gun-room ; Captain O'Brien 
messed with Captain Milner. There were several 
large Indiamen taken up for the troops, some of 
1,500 tons burthen. I had a very comfortable berth 
in the gun-room — so cool, and no mosquitoes, it 
appeared quite a paradise. I found the officers 
excellent good fellows, the senior Lieutenant a short, 
sturdy young man, whom I have often heard say 
that if ever he got into action he never would strike 
his colours, whatever disparity of force should exist. 
He blew his ship up after in action, when he could 
no longer defend her against a superior force. 
This young hero's name was Rowe. The second 
Lieutenant's name was Gordon, a gendeman, quite 
young. And the third, Houston, a remarkably 
handsome young Scotchman, and a great favourite 
of the Duke of Hamilton's. The Lieutenant of 
Marines' name was Wilson. The master was an old 
man, as was the surgeon. All the rest were little 
more than boys, but good officers. 

We had a pleasant voyage of about three weeks 
to Prince of Wales Island, or Penang, as it is 
sometimes called ; we found here the 33rd Regiment 
and other troops from Bengal. The settlement of 
Penang lies at the foot of high land, covered with 
jungle that looks very beautiful from the sea. It 
is inhabited by Malays and Chinese. At this time 
it had not been an English setdement above ten 



70 ELERS MEMOIRS 

years, and was then in its infancy. I renewed my 
acquaintance with Colonel Wellesley. The troops 
were not disembarked, but the officers and a few 
men were allowed to go on shore. I slept on shore 
two or three times. Some of the Madras native 
regiments were encamped there. In consequence 
of the hostile demonstrations on the part of Tippoo 
Sultan, the Governor-General was obliged to give 
up his intention of proceeding against the Manilas, 
and we had to lie quietly in the roads of Penang 
until the monsoon was over on the coast of Coro- 
mandel. The monsoon commences about the middle 
of October, and it is not safe for ships to enter the 
Madras roads ere the first week in January. So we 
all led a very quiet, stupid life on board our respective 
ships until the middle of December, when we of the 
coast troops returned to Madras. My chief recreation 
was visiting the opposite shore of Kedah, shooting 
pigeons and sea-gulls, visiting the troopships, fishing 
out of the stern gallery, sometimes bathing at the 
foot of a delicious waterfall under the shade of the 
palmyra, the plantain, and other Asiatic trees. This 
lovely bath was situated about two or three miles 
from the town. The approach to it was up the 
mountains, and all under the shade of large forest 
trees. It is, indeed, a truly delicious retreat. No 
one ever visited Prince of Wales Island without 
going there. 

A change took place before we left Penang with 
respect to the quartering of the troops on board the 



WINSTONE'S DEATH 71 

ships. I was sent on board the Princess Mary, an 
extra Indiaman of 500 tons, commanded by Captain 
Nash, and manned solely by Lascars, with the 
exception of the officers. The ship appeared so 
small, so dirty, the duty done so slovenly both by 
men and officers, so very different from the smartness 
and discipline of a man-of-war, that it formed a 
miserable contrast. It was only for about three 
weeks, but they passed long and wretchedly. On 
arriving on shore my kind friend Captain Ruding 
gave me a room in his house. I forgot to mention 
during our short stay at Penang that we lost one of 
our Captains, Thomas Hayward Winstone, of an 
old family in Gloucestershire, and related to my 
friend Sir Thomas Hayward of Berkshire. He 
drank very hard. I had spent the evening with 
him only a few nights before. He allowed the land 
wind to blow upon him during his sleep. He awoke 
ill, and never recovered. I saw him as he lay dead ; 
he had a most stern and severe expression in his 
countenance. He was opened, and his liver was 
entirely decayed. His complexion was very similar 
to Colonel Aston's. His funeral was a military 
one, the first I ever attended. It made a great 
impression upon me at the time, he being the 
first officer we had lost since leaving England. 
Alas ! the loss of how many more shall I have to 
recount ! 

I had not been on shore many days when I was 
taken ill with a decided attack of liver. I was ill 



72 ELEKS MEMOIRS 

about three weeks, and after having taken repeated 
doses of calomel I recovered. At this time, about 
Tebruary, 179S, some of the old regiments, such as 
the 36th, 52nd, and 75th Regiments, were ordered 
home. And some of our officers, being heartily 
sick of India, effected an exchange. Among those 
who \ci\ were Captains Ruding and O'Brien. In 
them I lost two kind friends. Alas ! in after-life 
what different fates awaited them — one the heir- 
apparent to ;^5,ooo per annum, the other pre- 
sumptive heir to an Irish earldom! They each of 
them succeeded to the fortune and honours they 
were heirs to, but with far different results. My 
dear and kind friend Colonel Aston, ever mindful of 
my comfort, bought a horse of Lieutenant Meade 
for me, together with a new saddle and bridle, as 
we received orders to proceed to garrison Tanjore, 
a distance of about two hundred miles from Madras. 
O'Brien was much beloved by the regiment, and he 
was very much attached to it. But he had too much 
at stake to stay longer in so precarious a situation as 
the East Indies. He had a very narrow escape in 
the West Indies a short time before. The Hank 
companies of the army in 1 794 were embarked at 
Cork for the West Indies. Both of ours went, and 
Lieutenant O'Brien went also. Our llank companies 
stormed St. Lucia, and those who were not killed 
all died of the yellow fever in nine months, with the 
exception of O'Brien and two of the private soldiers. 
O'Brien, when he left the regiment, presented some 



CAMI^ IJKK 73 

little memorials of his regard to those officers with 
whom he was most intimate. 'I"o me. he ^ave an 
emerald j)in, which I preserved for ten years, and 
happened to prov<; to him the care I had taken of 
it by wearing it at Ascot races, where by chance I 
m(;t him. It was stolen a few days after this c>ut of 
my shirt. 

We marched out of i'ort St. George at gun-fire 
one morning the latter end of the month of I'ebruary, 
and encamped on Chc;ultry Plain, in the vicinity of 
the fort. Thus I made my debut under canvas in 
the East. I startc-d with a very modest establish- 
ment : a head servant, a second ditto, a boy to 
carry my chair, and coolies for my cot, talkie, etc., a 
Cooderry currah and grass-cutter. 'I'hese two 
native servants were for the purpose of attending 
upon one hor.se, the only one I had. The novelty 
of a camp life amused me much at first. We were 
obliged to be up before daylight ; the bugle .sounded 
an hour before dawn. The Lascars were then 
busily at work knocking loo.se the tent-pegs, the 
servants [jacking up the trunks, attending their 
masters and helping them to dress, loading the 
bullocks with trunks, etc. In the course of another 
hour the second bugle .sounds. The regiment is 
formed in marching order, the drums and fifes 
begin to play, and the officers are shortly after 
allowed to mount their horses and ride by the side 
of their companies. The Quartermaster and his 
staff precede the regiment, and fix the encampment 



74 ELKRS MKMOIRS 

about niiu\ ten. or twoKo miles from the last 
oToiiiul, accordiuiT as ho tiiuls favourable around. 
One thino- is indispensable : the vicinity of water, 
and it should be near a village. We had a fine 
lari;e mess tent, and our mess man gave us a good 
dinner i^very dav. as he used to do in quarters. In 
the eveuiug the \illagt.M-s used to come out to our 
lines tc» indulge their curiosity. ottcMUimes accom- 
panied by the dancing-girls, particularly if in the 
neighbourhood of any celebrated pagodas. I think 
it is about thirty miles from Madras we came to the 
celebrated pagodas oi' Conjeveram. They are, from 
their size, architecture and magnificent tanks, really 
wonderful objects oi' curiosity. Immense quantities 
oi' monkeys inhabit these pagodas, where they are 
considered quite sacred, and jiniip about these 
temples in perfect security. 

We arrived at Pondicherri, and encamped in the 
neighbourhood. And here was stationed a native 
reii'imeiit I had met at Tenant: ; with some ot the 
officers I renewed my acquaintance. At this place 
I acquired the accomplishment o\' swimming, taught 
me by one of my company. 1 was very fond oi this 
refreshing exercise, but never felt comfortable, from 
my constant dread of water-snakes and alligators. 
I was bathing once in the vicinity oi' Tanjore, and 
heard my servant in earnest conversation with an 
old Brahmin. I asked him the subject of their 
conversation. He said : ' Brahmin say, master, that 
he knows an o/i/ alliofator that has lived in this tank 



mm 



TANJORE 75 

upwards of one hundred years.' I never bathed 
there afterwards. 

We at length arrived at Tanjore. An immense 
fort it was, and with a still larger pettah. There 
was a regiment of Native Infantry doing duty in 
that part, commanded by a Colonel Innis. Colonel 
Aston had a very good quarter in the. fort, which 
had an excellent garden attached to it, with a fine 
vineyard. The grapes abounded there, and it was 
a source of great profit, I have heard, to officers 
wh('>se object it was to make and save money. Not 
so with the liberal, noble-minded Aston, 

The weather on our first arrival was dreadfully 
hot, and the nights were most oppressive ; we were 
worn out by the heat of day, and unable to get any 
refreshing sleep from the closeness of the nights, as 
no cool sea-breeze was to be had here. It was here 
that Colonel Aston got an attack of liver complaint. 
I used often to dine with him in his room and take 
his horse out for exercise in the evening. I think 
he began to get tired of the climate and the 
monotony of the life, and I believe, had peace been 
permanently established in India, he calculated being 
at home in the summer of 1799, and had made 
arrangements to that effect. But man proposes and 
God disposes. His sun was nearly set. 

About seven miles from Tanjore was a military 
station called Vellum. There our flank companies 
were removed under Major Picton, It was a wild 
and cheerless place, situated on a large, sandy plain. 



76 KLERS MKMOIRS 

the few rocks in the neighbourhood infested with 
large snakes of the most danoerous description, 
among others the cobra de capello, the most veno- 
mous. After being bit, if no appHcation is made, 
you die in half an iunir. These snakes are ot a 
dirty brown, and are generally from 5 feet to 7 feet 
in length. When irritated they expand a fleshy 
substance from each side of the head, which is 
marked like a pair of spectacles. They throw 
themselves upright, and can then spring some 
distance upon you. I had the most miraculous 
escape of being bitten by one some years after. 

During my short stay at this dull and miserable 
station I had the opportunity of seeing a young- 
widow burn herself by the side of her deceased 
husband. The funeral pile was about 10 feet high ; 
in the middle of the pile lay her deceased husband, 
an old and miserable-looking man. The devoted 
victim was a young creature about seventeen, 
dressed in white, with all her jewels on and various 
ornaments of gold. There was a confused noise of 
singing and shouting, intermixed with the sound of 
tom-toms — that is, a sort oi' small drum — and at 
intervals the hollow and sonorous sound oi' eong-s 
and trumpets. The priests and her friends crowded 
round her, all speaking to her at once, apparently to 
distract her attention and to prevent her shrinking 
at the last moment from sacrificing herself. There 
was a small tank of water close to the funeral pile. 
They led her to this. 1 was very near her when 



SUTTEE 77 

I saw her quietly take the jewels from her ears, her 
nose, unclasp her gold bracelets, as well as the 
bang^les from her ankles and every ornament she 
had on, which were received by her relations. She 
then stepped into the water, divested herself of her 
clothes of pure white, and replaced them with clothes 
of a yellow colour. She then performed her ablu- 
tions, came out of the water, and unassisted walked 
three times round the pile, followed by the priests 
and her friends, who at this period appeared to be 
more urgent and loud in their discourse to her 
to distract her attention. vShe then, unassisted, 
mounted the pile, laid herself down by the side of 
her husband, and put his head under her arm, 
turning herself towards them. They then sprinkled 
large quantities of oil and straw on the pile. The 
fatal fire was then applied, and amid loud shouts 
and while the fire reached her I distinctly heard her 
utter the words ' Narina, Narina.' F"ortunately, 
during this horrid ceremony a very high wind was 
blowing, and I consoled myself in the hope that she 
was suffocated ere she suffered much pain. I was 
very near her during the different parts of the 
ceremony, and could have saved her life by merely 
touching her, as she would then have been defiled, 
and would not have been permitted to have the 
honour of sacrificing herself. But in saving her life 
I stood the chance of being torn to pieces, and I 
certainly should have been brought to a court- 
martial for disobedience of orders, for the English 



78 ELERS MEMOIRS 

in those days were strictly forbidden to meddle with 
the customs and prejudices of the natives. 

In the neighbourhood of Vellum, on the arid and 
sandy plains, small stones abound which, in course 
of ages, get chipped at the angles by accident. 
These, if given to a lapidary and cut and polished, 
produce a stone frequently of value, and in polish 
and lustre far superior to our Bristol stone. I used 
to amuse myself collecting these sometimes. Major 
Picton had a leash oi' English greyhounds, and we 
used at earlv dawn to take the do^^s out and run 
fo.xes and jackals. They run for a mile or two very 
swift, but I have got several severe falls by my 
horse oettinor into false oround and holes and coming^ 
suddenly across watercourses and ravines. 

An important revolution occurred during our stay 
at Tanjore. The old Rajah was deposed, and the 
young one, by the name of Suffrajeh, brought up 
and educated by a German missionary of the name 
of Schwartz, was placed on the musnud in his room. 
At this time he was one of the handsomest natives I 
ever saw. This revolution took place without any 
confusion, noise, or bloodshed, and, I believe, had 
justice on its side, which is not always the case in 
political revolutions. The young Rajah — about 
twenty-four — gave us a grand dinner according to 
the English custom, and as soon as the dessert was 
placed on the table he was led into the room by 
Colonel Aston and the Civil Resident, Benjamin 
Torin, and took his seat at the centre of the table, 



SUFFRAJKH RAJAH 79 

between the two. I shall never forget the splendour 
of his dress. It reminded me of the Sultans, Caliphs, 
and Princes I used to read of in the ' Arabian Nights' 
Entertainments.' His turban was richly decorated 
with jewels, and he had an ornament somewhat like 
a heron's feather entirely composed of diamonds 
issuing from his turban. He had a close jacket of 
the richest kincob, a splendid sash, in which was 
stuck his dagger, ornamented with precious stones, 
and also a scimitar, the handle and scabbard of 
which were similarly ornamented. lift spoke 
English very well, and was dignified and graceful in 
his manners. All the officers got presents ; the 
Colonel got a splendid star, and the other officers 
according to their rank. I got a cloth of gold 
sufficient for a dress. All went off extremely well. 
This ceremony took place soon after we left Vellum. 
Mr. Benjamin Torin, the Civil Resident, lived a 
short distance from the Fort of Tanjore. He had 
come out for the second time in the same fleet that 
we came in to India. My kind and good guardian, 
Mr. Hutchinson, who had a house in the vicinity of 
Englefield Green, where Mr. Torin's family had 
long resided, was so kind, unknown to me, as to 
mention my name to him. The consequence was 
Mr. Torin never gave a dinner-party that I did not 
get a card of invitation to meet all the senior 
officers, and among the rest Colonel Aston. These 
two dons used to endeavour to outdo each other 
in the elegance of their entertainments, and they 



8o ELERS MEMOIRS 

always, as if by nuitual constant, invited me to 
them. 

It was during our stay at Tanjore we lost two 
officers : Lieutenant Cassidy and Lieutenant William 
Gahan, the latter one of the finest young men in the 
reeiment. He was much lamented. Our men 
during- our stay at Tanjore were very sickly ; every 
evening we had two or three funerals. I used to 
amuse myself by looking at the Hindoo women 
bathing themselves morning and evening, and 
fetching their water in brass vessels upon their 
heads, holding and balancing them most gracefully 
with one hand, the other hanging down or holding 
up the robe clinging wet and tightly round their 
symmetrical figures. Here from early dawn till the 
shades of night were females of all ages, from the 
child of ten to the venerable matron. What practice 
for the chisel of a Canova or a Thorwaldsen ! 
Nothing could be finer than the busts of these 
women, and as far as the knees they were perfect ; 
but their legs were in general faulty. They had not 
that lovely roundness that distinguishes the legs of 
the European women. Yet their hands and feet 
were certainly small. The large tank, with some 
hundred or more steps leading to the water, was 
just opposite to my quarter, and I used to amuse 
myself by endeavouring to copy their Grecian 
attitudes and graceful figures. It was at this place 
that I acquired great skill in shooting with a pellet 
bow. I could with some certainty hit anything 



WtMltmmmmm^m^BamM 



ARNEK 8 1 

twenty or thirty yards off. I one day espied one 
of our officers' servants squatting down smoking a 
cheroot. I fired, and hit the poor fellow in the 
mouth. Away vanished the extinguished weed. I 
was delighted, and laughed very heartily at the man's 
astonished looks ; but I never after repeated the 
foolish experiment. 

We received orders to march from Tanjore to a 
station called Arnee about the month of October, as 
the army was to be formed in that neighbourhood lo 
be in readiness to act against Tippoo Sultan if he 
did not comply with certain requisitions made to 
him by Government in February ensuing. We 
arrived at Arnee during the rains, and here, un- 
fortunately, my dear Colonel Aston left the regiment, 
and proceeded on leave to Madras, leaving the 
regiment under the command of Major Picton. 
Among the officers we received in exchange from 
other regiments was a Lieutenant Hartley of the 36th. 
He was a middle-aged man, and from having been 
some years in the country had acquired a good deal 
of local information and experience. He was a fine 
looking fellow, with honest and blunt manners and 
good temper. He was frequently consulted by the 
Colonel on matters connected with different customs 
pursued by the 36th Regiment, and by degrees 
acquired some influence and favour with the Colonel. 
Most unfortunately for the latter, they corresponded 
during this temporary absence of the Colonel from 
the regiment. It appears that Lieutenant Hartley 

6 



82 ELERS MEMOIRS 

had some difference with Major Allen, who was our 
paymaster, on the subject of his accounts, and 
represented the business in his letters to Colonel 
Aston in his own way. Colonel Aston in his reply 
to Hartley said : ' If Major Allen has used you as 
you say, I think he has not treated you liberally,^ 
or words to that effect. There is no doubt that 
Colonel Aston, when he made use of this term, 
never dreamed that Hartley would have so far 
abused his confidence as to read his letter to 
different officers of the regiment, which he did ; 
and this coming to the ears of Major Allen, a 
man of a high sense of honour, he immediately 
consulted his friend and countryman. Major Picton. 
Major Picton at once issued an order for all the 
officers to assemble at his quarters to investigate the 
difference between Major Allen and Lieutenant 
Hartley. And that result proved from the in- 
vestigation that Major Allen's accounts were 
perfectly clear with Lieutenant Hartley, and that he 
(the Major) did not merit the observation Colonel 
Aston made upon Hartley's representation. The 
minutes of this court of inquiry were immediately 
forwarded to Colonel Aston, who in a state of great 
excitement made up his mind to join his regiment 
at once, for the purpose of issuing a very severe 
order against Major Picton for presuming to take 
advantage of his (Colonel A.'s) temporary absence 
to call a meeting of the officers without his sanction. 
But previously to doing this he consulted his friend 



COLONEL WELLESLEY'S ADVICE 83 

Colonel Wellesley, and showed him the order he 
intended to issue. Colonel Wellesley said to him : 
' You have asked my advice. By no means issue 
the order.' Aston replied : ' I have made up my 
mind, and will do it.' ' Then why, if you had made 
up your mind to do so, consult me on the subject ?' 
And they left each other mutually dissatisfied. 
Colonel Wellesley related this conversation to me 
two years afterwards. Colonel Aston, on joining the 
regiment, issued the order. Major Picton im- 
mediately applied for leave of absence, to consult 
his friends as to what course he ought to take. 

It was during his absence that I lived a good 
deal with the Colonel at a bungalow he had a short 
distance from the fort of Arnee, and Colonel 
Cotton, who commanded the 22nd Light Dragoons 
at Arcot, came over and passed a few days with 
Colonel Aston. Colonel Cotton asked permission 
for me to return with him to spend a few days in 
hunting and shooting, and I then saw my dear 
Colonel alive for the last time. After dinner on 
that day the conversation turned on a fatal duel 
that had just taken place in the island of Ceylon. 
The circumstances were rather remarkable, but I 
forget the parties' names. The person who gave 
the offence received the fire of his adversary, and 
then, apologizing to him, acknowledged he had been 
to blame. But he had no sooner done this than he 
addressed the second of his adversary, and said : 
' But you, sir, I have an account to settle with. 

6—2 



84 ELERS MEMOIRS 

You insulted me in the manner in which you 
delivered your friend's message. Be so good as to 
take his place and give me satisfaction for the insult.' 
He did so, and was shot dead the hrst fire. Colonel 
Aston remarked that if such results oftener took 
place, fewer duels would be fought on frivolous 
occasions. In the course of the evening, soon alter 
coffee, some pistol-bullets lying on a table, someone 
of the party took one up, observing what an un- 
pleasant thing it would be to have one in one's body. 
Poor Aston, with a foreboding tone, as I thought, 
replied : ' That has been the fate of many better 
than you or I.' 

After spending a very pleasant ten days at Arcot 
with Colonel Cotton, one evening as we were 
drinking our wine an express arrived from Arnee 
statino- that Colonel Aston had that mornino- 
(Sunday) fought a duel with Major Allen, and had 
been shot, but that he still lived. The Colonel and 
I were much distressed at this unfortunate news, 
and ere the day dawned we were on our horses on 
our route to Arnee. I had not the nerve to enter 
his bedroom, but I heard his dreadful Qroans all 
over the house. He sometimes said : ' I can bear 
pain, but sickness unmans me.' I used to attend 
the doctor's report every hour in the day. From 
the first they gave little hope of his recovery, until 
about the fifth day, when the extreme pain began 
to subside, and there appeared some faint hopes of 
him. But this cessation of pain was occasioned by 



ASTON'S DEATH 85 

mortification having taken place, and at about six 
o'clock in the evening of the seventh day he ceased 
to exist. Colonel Wellesley arrived two or three 
days after the duel, and I heard Aston say : ' Ah, 
my dear Arthur, is it you ? I shall now die happy.' 
Immediately after his death, I went to the couch he 
was lying on, attended by Dr. Campbell, the surgeon. 
He turned down the sheet that covered him and 
pointed to where the bullet had entered his side. 
It was a dark and livid mark, not a hole, but the 
skin split in a triangular form, on a level with and 
6 inches from the navel. The bullet went throup-h 
the liver and passed entirely through the vertebra 
of the backbone, then took an oblique direction 
downwards, and lodged in the muscles of the hip. 

Major Picton sent him a challenge on the Saturday 
preceding, and he met him, attended by Captain 
Craigie as his second. Major Picton's second was 
Lieutenant Crawford. Major Picton's pistol missed 
fire, and he threw it down on the ground in a rage. 
The Colonel told him to ' try again.' The seconds 
very properly would not allow this, and, on Colonel 
Aston's firing in the air, they would not allow the 
business to proceed further. They shook hands, 
but the Colonel said : ' Remember, the order must 
stand ; no rescinding.' He afterwards said : ' Well, 
Picton, you and your friend must come and dine 
with me to-day, and all must henceforward be 
forgot.' The next day was Sunday, and on that 
day it was customary for the captains of their com- 



86 ELERS MEMOIRS 

panics to wait on the commanding officer with the 
state of their companies. Major Allen, who was 
only a major by brevet, presented his at the break- 
fast-table, and remained until every officer had 
retired. When alone with Colonel Aston, he said : 
' I wish to consult you, Colonel, about exchanging 
out of the regiment. From certain unpleasant cir- 
cumstances that have lately occurred I find my 
situation, after the reflections you have applied to me, 
not what it was.' Colonel Aston said : 'If you ask 
my opinion, I think, as senior Captain, you would 
be wrong to quit the regiment ; and with respect 
to your feelings, I am ready to atone in any way 
you wish.' ' Will you, then, give me a meeting ?' 
demanded Allen. * Certainly, instantly. But allow 
me to say you have been very tardy in demanding 
it. I have been some days with the regiment without 
assuming the command of it, to give you and others 
who feel aggrieved an opportunity of satisfying 
themselves.' Previously to going out, which was 
very shortly arranged, he sent for the Adjutant, and 
desired him to go to all the officers and to say that 
if any one of them felt themselves aggrieved he was 
ready to satisfy them instantly, one after the other, 
and finish the business altogether. 

The Colonel and Captain Craigie happened to 
arrive on the ground a few minutes before Captain 
Allen and his second, an assistant-surgeon of the 
name of Erskine. Captain Allen apologized for 
keeping him waiting, adding : ' I am sorry, upon 



ASTON'S FUNERAL 87 

my soul, Colonel Aston, it should ever come to this.' 
Colonel Aston merely said : ' Take your ground, 
sir.' The distance was measured. Allen fired, and 
from the circumstance of the Colonel standing per- 
fectly upright with his pistol levelled, the seconds 
concluded that the ball had passed him. The 
Colonel dropped his pistol arm, and said : ' I am 
wounded, but it shall never be said that the last 
act of my life was that of revenge.' Poor Allen 
ran up, threw himself on the ground, and was quite 
overcome by sorrow and remorse. The Colonel 
was assisted into his palanquin, and met one of his 
officers, a Lieutenant Falla, soon after himself killed 
before Seringapatam. ' Well, Falla,' said the Colonel, 
' I have got a confounded lick in the guts, but I hope 
I shall get over it' 

I have seen many dead men, but never saw one 
that looked like poor Aston. He appeared just as 
though he were asleep — his long, dark eyelashes 
closed, and the sweetest smile upon his lips. It 
seemed to give the assurance that his immortal soul 
had taken its flight to the realms of bliss. The 
passage from death to the grave is very rapid in 
that warm climate, and ere twenty-four hours had 
expired he was in his last earthly resting-place. He, 
of course, had a military funeral ; his own regiment 
and a native regiment and a company of the artillery 
attended. Minute guns were fired, and every de- 
monstration of respect paid. His beautiful Arab 
charger was hung with crape, and his boots pendant 



88 ELERS MEMOIRS 

trom iho holsters. When ihc body was brought out 
ot the house the horse was staiulino- near the door. 
At the siolu oi' the coffin he started back, reared up. 
AWy] fell over. It appeared that evcMi the horse felt 
sensible that he had lost his master. 

rhere is no doubt that when Colonel Aston left 
England he had settled all his affairs by disposing 
oi' his property, but not that part which he had in 
India, consisting o\' horses, wine, plate, furniture, 
etc. These he left to his friend Captain Craigie, 
with the exception of the Arab horse Diomed, which 
he left to Colonel Wellesley. He also desired that my 
note of hand to him for a considerable sum misfht 
be destroyed, as well as a miniature of a lady and 
several papers. These were thrown down a deep 
well in the garden. His stock oi' clothes, etc., that 
he bought in luigland was immense ; I have heard 
trom fifty to one hundred pairs of boots, I re- 
member on the passage out I had a painful boil on 
my arm ; the scar I have to this day. He lent me a 
loose jacket to wear. 1 said I was afraid I should 
deprive him oi it. as there were no laundresses on 
board ship. He said : ' Never mind ; 1 have two 
hundred more.' His tailors made for me when I 
returned home — the Croziers. of Panton Square — 
and they assured me they used to take him home 
thirty coats at a time. And if they did not fit 
exactly he used to kick them out of the room. 

Such a sensation his untimely death made that it 
was long the topic of conversation. In him I lost 



mm 



ALLEN'S DEAIH 89 

the best and kindest friend I ever had. I should 
now have been, barring the casualties of war, a 
General, with orders and decorations, like many of 
those now wearing them, who were only subalterns 
when I had the rank of Captain. He always assured 
me I should be his A.D.C. The two Majors were 
placed in arrest, sent down to Madras, and tried by 
a court-martial. They were admonished, and Allen 
was tried in the Civil Court and acquitted. They 
both returned to their duty with the regiment. But 
poor Allen never held up his head afterwards. He 
died in less than three months of a raging fever. 



CHAPTER YII 

Ill-health — Vellore — Pass of Amboor — To Soringapatain — Jiist too 
late for its fall— A palace hospital — Saved by port-wine — 'Old 
Sour Crout' — The lottery of the service — Another lottery 
of ,^20.000 — Mrs. Tennant— Baflled hopes— Restoration of 
lawful Rajah of Mysore — Trize-money — The doctor and the 
diamonds — Colonel Wellesley's foiled night attack — General 
Baird's generosity — The Duke of York and Cieneral Harris 
— A cure for snake-bites — Pr. Scheltky's cieath — St. Thome 
— Rejoins regiment. 

Soon after the death of my dear friend Aston I 
lost both health and spirits. I joined the army, but 
kept my tent, from a violent attack of the liver, 
attended with burning fever. I had no palanquin ; 
none but officers of the highest rank could afford to 
keep one, and I was too ill to sit on my horse. 
Colonel Cotton and the Hon. Major de Grey were 
kind enough to send one of theirs to me every 
morning to convey nie to the new encampment. 

I oTQt as far as Vellore, when I was obliijed to qo 
into quarters while the army were halting for a few 
days, and when they marched I made an eftort to 
join them. I never shall forget the Pass of Amboor, 
surrounded by immense mountains : the hottest part 
of the season, an army of 25,000 men, and ten times 

[90]. 



ILL AT KISHNAGHERRY 91 

that number at least accompanying it with bullocks, 
horses, elephants, etc., for the transport of the 
baggage, heavy artillery, etc. No clean water to 
be had but the colour of the dirtiest puddle, and 
this for a poor sick devil. I clung to the army as 
long as I could hold up my head, and when we 
came to the foot of the Ghaut that divides Mysore 
from the Carnatic I was ordered with other sick 
officers and men to proceed to the fort of Kish- 
nagherry. I was put down more dead than alive at 
the house of Scott Jackson, the paymaster of the 
district. He came out for the second time in the 
same fleet with myself. He received me in the 
most kind and hospitable manner. He was a gentle- 
manlike, elegant young man, and he paid me every 
attention. I had also two clever medical men to 
attend me — a Dr. McMorris, still living, and a 
Dr. Orde, long since dead. 

I had been living about a month with Jackson, 
when we heard news from the army. Among the 
casualties in my regiment was the death of poor 
Falla from a cannon-ball, a twelve-pounder, from 
the fort of Seringapatam, three miles distant from 
our trenches. It rolled in and buried itself in poor 
Falla's groin. It was the most remarkable wound 
ever seen, and the general conversation of the army, 
for the shot was not to be seen, the flesh swelling 
completely over it. George Nixon, Lieutenant of 
Grenadiers, lost his arm and part of his side by a 
rocket, and the same rocket struck the legs of his 



92 ELERS MEMOIRS 

brother Robert, making a dreadful deep wound. 
George died, but Robert recovered, and is now 
living. There were two detachments of the army 
in our vicinity, or, more correctly speaking, only 
one — Colonel Read's. The other, under Colonel 
Brown, was several marches off, hastening to join 
Colonel Read, bringing up rice and other stores for 
the use of the army. I joined Colonel Read with 
other sick officers and men who were convalescent, 
but had to wait with Colonel Read for the junction 
of Colonel Brown several days. Had we proceeded 
alone without waitm^, we should have been present 
at the capture of that fortress. We arrived three 
days too late, and had the mortification of hearing 
the cannonade going on without being present at 
it. The long and fatiguing marches of this army 
caused me to have a relapse, as I had not perfectly 
recovered. I was seized with a confirmed dysentery, 
and on arriving with my regiment I was ordered 
into the palace of the Lai Bagh, which was one of 
the country palaces of Tippoo Sultan, converted into 
a hospital, in the gardens of which was a mosque 
shaded by cypress-trees, where lay the remains of 
his father, Hyder Ali, his wives and children, and 
lastly, deposited only a few days before, the body of 
Tippoo Sultan. These beautiful gardens, shaded 
with luxuriant trees and broad gravel walks, were 
dug with deep trenches, and yet from the hardness 
of the ground not sufficiently deep for graves for the 
poor soldiers who were carried when dead out of 



A PALACE HOSPITAL 93 

the gorgeous palace to be interred In these ready- 
made graves, and from their being so very shallow 
the jackals came at night and pulled them out again. 
I have often seen an arm with the red sleeve hanging 
out of a grave, the soldiers always being buried in 
their uniforms. 

On my arrival sick at the palace I found all the 
private soldiers lying on the bare ground, some in 
the agonies of death. It was a shocking sight to 
behold. The heat and smell were dreadful. The 
upper rooms were assigned to the officers. Captain 
Buckeridge of ours and Lieutenant Perceval went 
into this hospital sick. They both died there ; 
indeed, few who breathed this pestiferous air ever 
came out alive. Fortunately for me I was obliged 
to return to camp, there not being any vacant corner 
to place me in. I thought it mattered very little 
where I died, for I did not expect to live more than 
a few hours. My inside appeared to be all gone, 
and part of the intestines absolutely given way. 
The whole camp teemed with death and contagion. 
The flies and insects settled upon everything that 
was eatable, and the bullocks and other animals 
dying continually, these flies were continually feasting 
upon their carcases, and then settled upon our faces 
and provisions. I lay in this deplorable state for 
two or three days, when a Lieutenant Ashton brought 
me a couple of bottles of port wine which he had 
purchased at some deceased officer's sale. From 
the moment I took two glasses of this precious wine 



94 ELERS MEMOIRS 

I gradually recovered, all owing to its astringent 
and nourishing properties. This certainly saved 
my life. These two bottles of wine fetched a large 
price, such was the scarcity of wine in general, but 
more particularly port, which is never tasted in India 
but as medicine. 

On my arrival before Seringapatam I found a 
new Lieutenant-Colonel appointed from the 74th 
Regiment, known in that regiment by the sobriquet 
of 'Old Sour Crout.' Never did man merit the 
name better. He was a zealous, brave old man, 
and looked like a gentleman, but nothing pleased 
him. He was an old officer, and his name was 
Robert Shawe. He often used to boast that the 
Honourable Colonel Wellesley was his subaltern 
when he commanded the light infantry of the 76th 
Regiment. He was certainly, without any exception, 
the most peevish, waspish, disagreeable old gentle- 
man I ever fell in with, and the most difficult to 
please. How happy I was to leave his tent when- 
ever my duty obliged me to come in contact with 
him! He had a rich Milesian brogue. A favourite 
phrase of his was : ' Sir, don't spake when 1 am 
spakiiig.^ What a contrast to poor dear Aston ! 

At this time I was very near getting a company 
by purchase. A company became vacant in England, 
and old Shawe gave out an order that those subal- 
terns wishing and able to purchase should send 
their names into the orderly-room. I knew I had 
the money in England, but the whole sum (^1,500) 



PURCHASING A COMPANY 95 

must be placed down immediately. It so happened 
that my name appeared to be the first for purchase, 
and I believe the only one. Old Shawe sent for 
me, and said : ' I persave, sir, you are the first officer 
for purchase. Where is your money.'*' 'In 
England, sir.' ' That will not do ; it must be 
lodged at a house of agency in Madras.' 'Very 
well, sir.' So I returned to my tent and thought of 
all my friends in India. None struck me so likely 
as my kind friend Benjamin Torin at Madras. I 
wrote to him explaining my situation, and told him 
I had that sum in the iMiglish Funds, and if he 
would take my bills on his friend Mr. Hutchinson, 
and advance me the money, I .should be eternally 
obliged to him. By return of post he sent me the 
kindest answer, saying he had lodged the sum of 
;^ 1,500 for me in the house of Harrington and Co. 
of Madras. 

There was in the regiment a very deserving 
young Irishman of the name of Eustace, and a 
favourite of Colonel Aston's, chiefly from the circum- 
stance of his having, when quite a boy, been very 
near taken prisoner by the French on the Continent, 
and defending a gun very gallantly and narrowly 
escaping from the French. Major Craigie requested 
Eustace to go to me and beg me to resign my right 
to the purchase, as Major Craigie would arrange 
the purchase for him. I did not like to take the 
advantage which I had over him under the peculiar 
circumstances, and I resigned my right in his favour. 



96 ELERS MEMOIRS 

I did not get my company for four years after this, 
and then by purchase, and Captain Eustace got his 
majority and Lieutenant-Colonelcy in a few years 
after for nothing, which I should have had if I hat! 
insisted upon my right to purchase the company. 
Such is the lottery oi' our service. 

Writing o( lotteries puts ine in mind of my first 
cousin, Miss Debonnaire, who was intimate with a 
Jew. a stockbroker of the name of Ricardi\ and 
father of the celebrated rich financier, a man un- 
rivalled in his way in the House of Conmions, who 
acquired an immense fortune by his financial skill 
and s^ood manaq-ement. She desired old Ricardo to 
purchase her a ticket in the lottery, and told him he 
should have half oi it. The old man took one of 
his little sons with him, and told the boy to purchase 
a ticket while he sat in the carriage. The boy hatl 
several tickets to choose from. He selected one. 
and this ticket came up a £20,000 prize. Miss 
Debonnaire gave Ricardo the ^,10,000. besides 
making many handsome presents. The little boy 
got a watch-chain and seals, value fifty guineas, 
Lady Curtis a handsome new carriage, and she sent 
me / 100. She soon after married her cousin. 
William Tennant. Esq., a widower with one only 
son, with a good estate in Staffordshire called Little 
Aston Hall, worth £6,000 or £y,ooo per annum. 
This gentleman, notwithstanding his hue estate, was 
in want ot /, 10,000. and on her marriage she made 
him a present oi' that sum ; the rest oi' her fortune 



MRS. Ti\NNANT 97 

was settled ujjon herself. She had also a joinlurr; 
<^^ Zy^JO per annum, which, considering he had but 
one son and his large; fortune, was a very inade- 
quate j^rovision for her, particularly after her liberal 
conduct to him u|)on their marriagf;. They spent 
th(; honeymoon at Bath, and their turn-(nit was in 
the best style — -nev(T less than four hors('S and two 
post-riders. Vf;ry few men w(;re better judges of a 
hor.s(; than Mrs. Tennant, and her taste in building 
carriages was perfect. She never had a carriage 
more than three years at the utmost. I loulditch, of 
Long Acre, used to build for my uncle and aunt, 
and also f<;r my cousin Nancy, as we used to call 
her. She afterwards patronized Windus, a City 
man. Uuring her stay in Ijath she went into a 
bookseller's shop, where she purchased another 
ticket, and this proved a prize of ^5,000. Her 
husband did not survive his marriage more than two 
years, and his son shortly after married the lion. 
Charlotte Pelham, daughter of Lord Yarborough^ 
with whom he got a fortune of not more than 
/^ 15,000 or ^20,000, which is all, I believe, he ever 
received, though his lordship's fortune was ;^i 20,000 
per annum. ^ Young Tennant in his (^arly years was 
a delicate and sickly child. Had he died, all his 
estates would have reverted to my cousin, Mrs. 
Tennant. And she said if they had we should have 
been her heirs. 

About a month after the siege a poor child about 

' 'I'he writer slightly exaggerates Lord Yarborough's income. 

7 



98 ELERS MEMOIRS 

ten years old, found in the fort in rags and poverty, 
was proved to be a lineal descendant of the Prince 
who formerly ruled over the Mysore country, who, 
many years before, had been deposed by Hyder 
and had had his country taken from him. The 
English Government took this favourable oppor- 
tunity of restoring this poor child to the musnud of 
his ancestors. The city of Mysore is distant from 
Seringapatam about ten miles, and our regiment was 
selected to preside over his inauguration. It is the 
custom to give presents on such ceremonies, and on 
this occasion I got a shawl ; so that in the space of 
one year I was present at the restoration of two 
Rajahs. 

The army broke up, and we were marked down 
for Bangalore, whither we marched, and encamped 
on the glacis of the fort. I drew a bill on England 
for ;^300, and my kind friend Mr. Torin honoured 
it. I believe the reason I did this was that the 
officers having their prize-money to spend and I 
having none, having missed the storm by three days 
only, I could not do as they did. For had we not 
awaited the arrival of Colonel Brown's detachment, 
Colonel Read, whom I belonged to, would have 
been in time for the storminof. It was considered a 
very hard case by all the army, and after keeping us 
from receiving it for years, it was at length granted 
to us ; but I did not receive it until the year 1807, 
and without one shilling interest, which was our due. 
There are a certain class of people with an army 



PRIZE-MONEY 99 

called prize agents. There Is no doubt this interest 
found its way into their pockets. The sum I re- 
ceived was about ^430 ; a Captain received ;^8oo, 
a Major ^2,000, a Lieutenant-Colonel ^4,000, a 
Major-General ^12,000, and the Commander-in- 
Chief one-eighth of the whole prize-money captured. 
The idea at first was that every officer in the army 
had made at least from ;^ 10,000 to ^20,000. And 
even General Baird, whom I dined with, expressed 
his disappointment at receiving so small a sum as 
;i^i 2,000. He expected at the very least ^100,000. 
The wealth captured was enormous, and consisted 
of all sorts of property from every Court in Europe. 
There was splendid china from the King of France, 
clocks, watches, shawls of immense value, trinkets, 
jewellery from all nations, pearls, rubies, diamonds 
and emeralds, and every other precious stone made 
up into ornaments — even solid wedges and bars of 
pure gold. A soldier offered me one for a bottle of 
brandy. Many of the officers received part of their 
prize-money in jewels at a fixed valuation. I saw 
an emerald in its rough and uncut state valued at 
;^200. Many of our soldiers acquired by plunder 
what would have made them independent for life if 
properly managed. I heard that one of them soon 
after the storm staggered under as many pagodas as 
he could carry — to the amount, it was said, of 
;^[ 0,000. A soldier of the 74th Regiment got the 
best prize, consisting of two pairs of the Sultan's 
armlets, composed of large diamonds of an oval 
JLofO. 7—2 



loo ELERS MEMOIRS 

shape, each diamond as large as a full-grown 
Windsor bean. This man had been confined sick 
in the hospital, and had come out of the sick list 
in time to be at the storm. Soon after May 4 
Dr. Pulteney Mein, the surgeon, was called out of 
his tent to speak to this man, who said to him : 
' Your honour, I have got some large white stones, 
and a black fellow has offered me 1,500 rupees for 
them. If you will give me that sum for them they 
are yours.' Mein was a liberal, honest, but wary 
Scotchman. He knew the value of 1,500 rupees ; 
he was not so sure of these white stones. After 
some hesitation he said : ' Well, it's like purchasing 
in the lottery ; I will give you your price.' Rumours 
soon spread in the army of the prize which he had 
got, and an order was published by the Commander- 
in-Chief for all officers to give up their plunder for 
the general benefit of the captors, Mein tied these 
valuables up in a muslin handkerchief, and wore 
them next his skin for upwards of two years. 
Meer Allum, a Mahratta prince, offered him an 
enormous sum for them. However, he realized 
upwards of ^2,000 per annum, nothing near what 
he had been offered by the prince ; and he was 
generous enough to give the soldier an annuity of 
^200, which the poor man did not live long to 
enjoy. 

I often have mused upon what trifles will turn the 
scale and have an influence upon our future fortunes. 
Had Colonel Wellesley been an obscure soldier of 



A NIGHT ATTACK loi 

fortune, he would have been brought to a court- 
martial, and perhaps received such a reprimand for 
bad management as might have induced him in 
disgust to have resigned His Majesty's service, 
whereby one of the greatest soldiers England ever 
had would have been lost to the country. But 
Colonel Wellesley, fortunately for himself and his 
country, was brother to the Governor-General of 
India, and that was enough to wipe away any 
neglect or bad management, if any existed ; but 
which, in Colonel Wellesley's case, I believe did not 
exist, and might have happened to any man, however 
experienced and vigilant. 

Within a short distance of Seringapatam a large 
wood or tope lay between the fort and our army. 
The enemy were strongly posted there, and it was 
necessary to dislodge them. Colonel Wellesley was 
ordered on this service with the 33rd Regiment and 
a regiment of native infantry. The Colonel that 
evening had dined with General Harris, and at 
night he proceeded to execute the orders he had 
received to drive the enemy out and take possession 
of it. The night was dark as pitch forward, and in 
the rear towards our camp the fires and lights burnt 
brilliantly, which increased the darkness in front. 
The force under the Colonel moved towards the 
wood cautiously and silently, when suddenly a fire 
from all directions was poured in upon them. 
' Where's Colonel Wellesley ?' resounded on all 
sides, and the Colonel was nowhere to be found. 



I02 ELERS MEMOIRS 

The officers were trying to find the Colonel, and the 
Colonel vainly cndeavoiirinix to find them. All 
was confusion, and they were surrounded both by 
friends and enemies firing on each other. 

Colonel Wellesley. finding it iniiiossible from the 
utter darkness oi' the night to discern any object, 
and despairing from this ever to form his force 
together, returned to camp, and repaired to the 
dining tent of General Harris c)vercome witli 
despair at his failure. He eagerly inquired lor the 
General. One of the servants said : * Master, 
General Sahib, gone to sleep.' In a state of 
distraction Colonel Wellesley threw himself, with 
all his clothes on, ofi the table (at which a few hours 
before he had dined), awaiting the dawn of day. 

General Harris, having received the report oi 
this untoicard business, immediately called his staff, 
and General Baird was sent for to take the command 
of a new force to dislodge the enemy. Baird said : 
' No ; Colonel Wellesley has failed, not through the 
want of skill or bravery, but from circumstances. 
He is a young man, and if I supersede him it may 
cast a slur on his future career as a military man. 
Let him have the command by daylight, and I will 
answer for it he will carry the wood and drive the 
enemy out as well as I can.' The command was 
given to Wellesley, and he achieved it, as Baird 
foretold. The night attack which was so unfortunate 
was on April 5 ; and on May 4 the fort was stormed, 
and General Baird commanded the storming party 



liAIRirS bUPi'.KSKSSION 103 

and took possession of \.hc fori, whf-.rc h<: n;mainf;(] 
as commandinj( officftr for ahoul l<:n days. 

I r<:f:f:iv(;rl all thf; former pari of this iiarrativ; 
from the (Colonel's N.\)S\., C^aptain I Inches, of the 
74th Regiment. With respect to the unjust affair 
of th<-. sii|j(;rs<'.ding jjoor iJaird in the command of 
Serinj^apatam, I hf:ard it from (.(;lfjnel Wf-.llesley's 
own slalemcnl, in thf; aj^artment of the jjalace, thft 
iJowlet Ha;^di, where the sc-jif. occurred. Colonel 
Wcllesley said, in his rapid manner of speakin;^ : ' I 
went df;wn to I5aird one moinin;^ early, and foimfl 
him at hreakfast with his staff. " CJencral liaird, I 
am appointed to the command of .Seringapatam, and 
here is the order (jf General Harris." Haird imme- 
diately rose, and addressing his staff, said : " Come, 
gentlemen, we have no Umger any business here." ' 
Wellc.slf;y said: 'Oh, pray (mish your breakfast.' 
This is all that Colonel Wftllesley told me ahout 
thi.s curious scene. vSome two yc.ars afterwards, 
upon Cjeneral Harris's ntiirn fiomc:, and on attending 
th(i IJuk(; of York at one of his levees at the Horse 
Guards, Harris, who was not very quick in a 
difficulty, was asked quickly and suddenly by the 
Huke : ' Pray, (Jeneral Harris, what reason had you 
for superseding General liaird in the command of 
Seringapatam and giving it to a junior officer V 
Poor Harris stammered, and was at a loss U)Y a 
rejJy, and the Duke turned his back upon him, and 
began a convf^rsation with some officers. 

ll;iving received my /300 for my bill from 



I04 Kl.KRS MKMOIKS 

Mr. l\irin. tlio tirsl ihini; I did \v;is to buy a charger — 
iMvalry saddle. Gibson's bit. holsters all complete — 
for which 1 paid .C ^ -O. My horse, which I bought 
oi' iny^ l^iptain W'oodall, cost /. lOO. ami mv pony I 
exchanj^inl with Pr. Cimpbell for Colonel Aston's 
duelling pistols, as //•< r involve no chari;e for main- 
tenance, and 1 saved the keep oi the pony, and they 
completed my cavalry ecjuipment. Mv charger was 
full 15 hands high, colour a very dark chestnut, a 
beautiful shoulder, high cresi. a hollow back, very 
blood-like racing hind-cjuarters. with a showv blood 
tail. llis ha\ing a hollow back was a b.ul j>t)ini. but 
when one was on his back with a cavalry saddle and 
being well thrown on his haunches, nothing could be 
more delightful and cMsy to ride. \\v had gre.it 
spirit, but was ot good temper. 

1 Ictt Hangalore lor Madras in companv with An 
old officer who went b\- tlu- name of Corucn Kippeu. 
I suppose from his holding that rank so manv 
years, for at the time I knew him he was a Captain 
of native cavalrv. lie was uncouth in his manners, 
but sociable. And he used to entertain nu^ during our 
journey with \arious Indian anecdotes. 1 afterwanls 
heard one oi him and CuMieral H.iird laughable 
enough. Vhc Cornet was a man oi' \-ery great 
curiosity ; he happened one day to be in General 
Haird's tent when he was answering some letters he 

^ l>y ' my ' Captain the author evidently refers to Captain 
A\ oodall's being in command of tlie I-ight Infantry Company to 
which he himself belonged (see p. 4rV Kn. 



A COBRA'S nVVK 



105 



had just received from Enj^land. 'I'urning^ suddenly- 
round, he saw the Cornet peeping over his shoulder 
r(;af]in^ them. All the reproof he gave him was : 
' Mr. Kippen, here are others of a later date !' 

On f>ur march one morning we observed at a dis- 
tance a grouf> rjf natives digging at a mound of earth, 
and one of them kneeling df)wn ; and as wc came up to 
the man he very suddenly withdrew his hand, having 
been bitten in the finger by a snake. In the course 
of two or three minutes the man began to feel great 
pain and sickness. The natives tied a bandage very 
tight round his arm, and applied a small gray stone 
to the punctures in his finger. In a few minutes 
he was relieved from the pain, and in the course of 
half an hour the stone was taken off the wound, and 
the man declared he felt quite well. I purchased 
this stone of the natives, and they told me if we had 
any milk and put the stone into the milk, it would 
cause the milk to bubble up as though it werf; boil- 
ing. They pulled th(! snake out of the hole, and it 
proved to be; a large cobra de capello. I drew my 
sword to kill it, but they would not allow me. They 
said that the man bitten would die if I killed the 
snake. The natives of India never kill them, and 
they ar(' generally worshipped and [;n-,s(*rved. 

A melancholy accident happened in the gardens 
of the palace. A doctor named Scheltky be- 
longed to the Scotch Brigade. Dr. Campbell, of 
my regiment, and Dr. Scheltky had their tents 
pitched close together near the hospital. Dr. S. one 



io6 ELERS MEMOIRS 

night came into Dr. Campbell's tent nearly undressed 
to smoke a cijjar and chat for half an hour before 
going to bed. On his return Campbell heard the 
doctor cry out : ' I have either been hit by a stone 
on the leg or I have been bitten by a snake.' Camp- 
bell brought a light, and in one corner of the tent lay 
coiled up a large snake. Campbell got his gun and 
killed it. It was not a cobra, but was most beauti- 
fully marked with rings as far as the centre of the 
body, and it had a long tail gradually ending in a 
point. Poor Scheltky died in great pain three days 
afterwards. There are about forty-seven or fifty 
different species of snakes in the East Indies, of 
which not more than seven are venomous. The 
cobra de monil is reckoned by the natives as the 
most deadly. It is not more than a foot and a half 
long. The snake-snatchers are in great dread of 
this snake. 

My friend the Cornet parted from me about forty 
or fifty miles short of Madras, and I was left to 
pursue my journey with only my servants for 
company. I missed the Cornet very much. I 
passed one or two days in a choultry, confined to 
it by incessant rain, it being the very middle of the 
monsoon, and my entry into the fort of Madras was 
very inauspicious. Turning short round, through 
the Wallagah Gateway, my horse, from the slippery 
state of the roads, slipped down on all fours. 
Neither of us, very fortunately, received any hurt. 
I know not what took me into the fort, for there 



REJOINS REGIMENT 107 

was only one tavern, and that, like all others, very 
bad and ruinously expensive. I went finally to one 
of the taverns in the Black Town ; I found out that 
they were dirty and expensive, and not very respect- 
able, only frequented by unfortunate midshipmen, 
who had no friends to receive them ashore, and who 
spent in two or three days' residence more than 
what their pay amounted to in twice as many 
months. So I went out to live at St. Thome, about 
two miles from Madras, close to the sea. And here 
I found Captains Crawford and Nixon of ours, and 
Captain Dalrymple of the 74th, all living together 
most comfortably in a fine house. So I was in no 
want of society. 

After living here till the beginning of January, 
my regiment had moved from Bangalore into the 
Carnatic, and had arrived at a station called Walla- 
jahbad, forty miles from Madras. I joined my 
regiment at this station, got into a good quarter, 
and found a good billiard-table, a good regimental 
library, and excellent shooting and hunting. The 
snipes are capital eating. A good shot will bring 
home thirty brace a day. I never killed more than 
seven brace ; but I was not a good shot. The 
exercise in the heat of the sun is very hard work 
indeed, and trying to the constitution. We had 
moderate drills and evening parades, and in the 
middle of the day we amused ourselves visiting 
each other's quarters and gossiping under the long 
verandas. We had also a very good mess. We 



io8 ELERS MEMOIRS 

spent our time very pleasantly. I bought a beautiful 
little pony, so that I now had a good charger, and 
the pony was so quiet that I could shoot oft his 
back. 

Our regiment received orders about j une to march 
to Poonamallee, about fifteen miles from Madras, 
there to remain till further orders. It was reported 
that it was destined to go on an expedition to 
Batavia. I was first for detachment, and I was 
ordered to remain at VVallajahbad with the sick 
men, about fifty in number, and a guard of about 
twenty or thirty men, together with the assistant- 
surgeon. Dr, Erskine. and a sick officer, Lieu- 
tenant Langford. This poor man had only dined 
with us twice, when he took to his bed and died. 
I saw him when dead. He looked sad and 
sorrowful, dift'erent from Winstone, who had the 
most stern expression of feature, or from poor 
Colonel Aston, who looked as if he were asleep 
with a sweet smile. I buried this poor man by 
reading the Burial Service over him and firing three 
volleys over the grave. I had this melancholy 
office to perform over several of the soldiers. I 
found myself very dull here, separated from my 
regiment, though it was a source of great profit to 
me, as I made a considerable sum from the bazaar, 
from my situation as commanding officer over 
seventy or eighty men. 



CHAPTER VIII 

Colonel Harcourt — Lieutenant Price broken — Cotiote expedition 
— An engagement — Jungle fever — Talatcheri — With Colonel 
Wellesley from Cannanore — -A dangerous journey — A strange 
accident— The Rajah of Coorg — At Seringapatam with 
Wellesley — Hunting with cheetahs — A court-martial — 
Wellesley's gallantries. 

At length I received my orders to join, with all the 
sick, the headquarters of the regiment at Poonamallee, 
and there I heard to my great joy that old Sour 
Grout's appointment to our regiment was not 
approved of at home, and that he was to go back to 
his own corps, the 74th, and also that we might 
expect a fine young man to join us, a Lieutenant- 
Colonel George William Richard Harcourt,^ whose 
kind and amiable manners were to restore harmony 
and good-humour to the corps after poor Aston's 
melancholy business. In a very short time Colonel 
Harcourt arrived from England, bringing with him 
both officers and men for the regiment. He was a 
tall, thin young man of about twenty-eight years of 
age, with a pale face, slight and elegantly turned 

^ George William Richard Harcourt, younger son of John 
Harcourt, of Ankerwyke, County Bucks. A Major-General in 
the Army ; died unmarried. 

[ 109 ] 



no M.l'RS Ml.MOlRS 

fii^uro. small aquiliiio noso. larvae whiskors and lii:;lu 
brown hair, wiihoui poxwUM'. Mis manners wiMi- 
portocily polislu\l. anJ ho soonu\l ui sa\ : ' 1 am 
como to mako \ ou all li.ippy aiul hoal all your 
dilToivncos.' llo had commanded [\\c .|oth Ko^^i- 
mont in tho Wost Indies, vind had boon wounvlod 
sovorolv somo short timo btMoro. llo broui;hl oul 
with him a voiing man as a sorvani, to whom \\c 
was much attaciiod. llo also brought out a fashion 
able curricle, which 1 sold for him two n ears later to 
Colonel WellesloN . lie arri\ed with plate, books, 
and exervthin^ in the best possible style. 1 was 
one ot" the hrst ofticers ot" the regiment he saw. and 
he seemed pleased with mv stud and paid me son\e 
compliments upon mv riding. We were all highly 
delighted with our new and voimg Colonel, and so 
ho appeared with us. \\\> were soon aitt r. to our 
great ai\novance. divided. Two companies werc> 
sent to sea, supj^osed destined, in companv with 
other troo['>s, tor Ivuax ia. and three lUlua' compai\ies 
were sent tv^ the southward, under Major Picton, 
against some turbuleiU Polygar Rajahs. The 
remaining" five companies with Colonel llarcourt. 
the tlank companvs band and colours, niarcluul t<> 
the Mysore countr\-. We had a \ery pleasant 
march through the C«\rnatic, and we kej^t up our 
mess until we arrived at the Ghauts, when it was 
too much trouble and diUicuhv tor our mess men to 
carry it on turther. and then W(.^ divii.led ourselves 
into small mess parties, and [iro\ ided tor oLH\selves 



AN (jlhlU'M {ikOKI'.N iii 

as wf.II as wf. could. iMy brother sub., Robert Sale, 
now a Colonel in the 13th Regiment, messed with 
me, and Colonel Harcourt and Captain Nixon and 
Crawford messed together, and they often gave us 
capital dinners and breakfasts. 

Duriii;^ ()\ir niareh, after we h;i.d entered the 
Mysorr: f.f^untry, an unfortunate disj^ute took place 
between a Lieutenant Price and Captain Nixon. I 
do not know the origin of the quarrel, but Price was 
a hot-headed young Irishman, and committed him- 
se;lf in a way that obliged Colonel Harcourt to 
jjut him und';r arrest. And he was in this situa- 
tion when Colonel Wellesley happened to come 
across us on his march down to the Carnatic, he 
being ajjpointed to proceed with troops destined to 
join Sir Ralph Abercromby in Egypt. Colonel 
Wellesley, who then commanded the troops in 
Mysfjre, gavrt f orders that a general court-martial 
shrjuld assemble for the trial of Lieutenant Price, 
and, poor fellow, he was broke. It was a most 
distressing sight seeing him every day riding with- 
out his sword, and, after the .sentence, deprived of 
his two epaulettes, being a Lieutenant of Grenadiers. 
All this scenft was distressing to Colonel Harcourt, 
but he was obliged to report what had taken place, 
with so unpleasant a result. This made Captain 
Nixon very unpopular with a few of the junior part 
of the regiment, and there was a hot young Irish 
assistant - surgeon, a Mr. Washington Price (no 
relation to the officer of that name who had been 



112 I'lJ'.RS mi<:moirs 

broko), who was parlicularly violtMU against Nixon. 
A fierce quarrel broke out many nionllis after at 
Seringapatani. which ended in a duel at W'arriore, 
near rrichinopoli. in the Carnaiic. 

AlliM' marching lor some tinu^ about the Mysore 
ccnintry. w t,' werc> ordered to prociwl to ScM'ino.ipatam 
pre\ iousK to an armv ol about 5,000 n\c\\ beinj^ 
tornu\l under the command oi Colonel Stephenson, 
o( the Madras Cavalry, to proceed to the Cotiote 
country against the Raj.ih of that name. The army 
was divided into three brigades. Colonel llarcourt 
commandt.\l <>nc^ o[ them. C^^ur \\yc comi\ii\ies and 
the 7;ih Regiment were the iMrst Hriga^le. ami 1 
was appointi\l Colonel Ilarcourt's lirigade- Major. 
The Cotiote country lies distant. I should supi>ose, 
from Seringapatam about sixty to eighty miles due 
west, and between it and Mysore lies a small 
territory called Coorg. the Rajah oi' which has 
<ilwavs been at peace with the Company, while the 
Rajah of Cotiote has invariably been hostile, and it 
was in the early part of 1 797 when he surprised a 
battalion o( native infantry and they were all 
massacred. No favourable opportunity having 
occurred to avenge this barbarity, our force was 
destined for that purpose. The country is by nature 
very strong, filled with thick jungle, with no roads 
and deep rivers, and not ground enough clear Irom 
wood to encamp 100 men. We were led to 
expect a very unpleasant service, as it proved to be. 
In a few marches we crossed the frontier ot the 



COTIOTJ^ j:Xl^J':j;i'lION 113 

ftnf^my's country. Ihc roads wcrr; vc-ry Ijad, and in 
getting into th(; country of Cotir>tf'. the [pioneers 
wen; constantly einjjloyed, and (jur jjnjgress was 
very slow, nr^t more tlian a mile, or at most two 
miles an hour. A broad and rapid river ran on our 
I'Tt, and we could not sec,, from the thickness of the 
jungle, more than a few yards from our flanks. 

It was on January 9, 1801, that we, commenced 
hostilities. The road took a sharp turn to the left, 
and brcKjght us n(;arly in front and in view of this 
rapid and dee[; river, tlie name of which I forget, 
when from the opposite banks the enemy opened 
his fire from the tops of the trees upon our advanced 
guard, which was supjjorted by the Grenadiers of 
the I 2th ReginKtnt. We could not s(;e a man, but 
could j)erceive the fire from the toj> of the trees. 
Some of tlu; (jrf:nadiers |>lunged into the stream, 
but were obliged to return for fear of bf:ing drowned. 
We poured in platoon after platoon upon them, but 
could make no impression until we brought up a 
gun, and the juice of the grape by degrees silenced 
them. We did not lose many men, considering. I 
saw two of our Grenadiers lying lifeless, being .shot 
through the head, and several others lying dead. 
Colonel llarcourt took it very coolly, as he was 
accustomed to engageme,nts, laughing and taking 
his snuff as usual. As f(jr myself, I was very well 
content when it was all over and the rascals fairly 
off Our loss was very inconsiderable, not above 
thirty men altogether. 

8 



114 ELERS MEMOIRS 

On this march we established a strong- post on 
halting, and built a strong stockade there. The 
j30st and village were called Manantaudi. Here we 
remained three weeks, sending out strong parties to 
scour the country, and we used to have a good deal 
of bush fighting, and the natives used to fire at us 
from behind trees. One man of my company was 
shot through the lungs in this way ; the ball entered 
his chest and out at his back. The poor fellow 
died in the course of the night. He was close to 
me when he was shot. 

I had been with the army about three or four 
months upon this service when, in crossing a river 
one day, I suddenly got into deep water and fell in 
over head and ears. I was very hot at the time, 
and the next day I had a regular attack of what 
they call jungle fever. We had nearly effected our 
object. The enemy tied in all directions, and there 
was scarcely a man to be seen. Our men got sickly 
from this unwholesome country, where the sun 
never penetrated, and the miasma arising from the 
rotting vegetation proved very prejudicial to their 
health. We were, therefore, expecting every hour 
to receive orders to march and do the garrison 
duty of Seringapatam. We were not above forty 
miles from a place on the coast of Malabar called 
Talatcheri. And to this place I went for change 
of air. I found here a Mr. Waddell, of the Bombay 
Civil Service, who very kindly showed both myself, 
Colonel Harcourt, and Captain Crawford much 



COLONEL WELLESLEY 115 

hospitable attention. These two onjy remained 
here a clay or two, when they returned to the 
regiment, leaving me to stay a few days more for 
the benefit of the sea-breeze. We had a Captain 
Macleod lately appointed to us, an old officer in 
bad health, living at Talatcheri. I called upon him, 
and saw a most beautiful Arab horse tied up in his 
yard. I fell in love with him, and Captain Macleod 
agreed to accept in exchange for this Arab a very 
handsome mare of mine, which I had bought of an 
officer of the 19th Light Dragoons, and for which I 
had paid 100 pagodas ; I also paid Captain Macleod 
about 70 pagodas extra. This Arab had a most 
beautiful head, a large dark eye like an antelope ; 
he was a silver-gray, with a dark mane, and long 
square tail of the same colour. He had broken 
knees, and was very apt to trip, but he was the 
quietest creature in the world. Often have I laid 
down by his side at night when he has been sleep- 
ing. He was just 14*2. This horse afterwards 
proved a little fortune to me. Colonel Wellesley 
having been superseded in command of the Indian 
force for Egypt by General Baird at Bombay, by 
order, I believe, of his brother at Calcutta, landed 
either at Talatcheri or Cannanore, attended by his 
A.D.C., Captain West, of the 33rd Regiment, and 
his Persian interpreter, Major Ogg, of the Com- 
pany's service. I saw him, and he said to me : 
' Elers, I think it will be better for you to accom- 
pany me to Seringapatam, where I shall go directly, 

8-— 2 



ii6 ELERS MEMOIRS 

and where your regiment will follow to be stationed 
there, and you can live with me until they arrive.' 
I thanked him, and I joined him at Cannanore. I 
had with me my horses, servants, baggage, and 
camp equipage. 

Colonel Wellesley's health at this time was not 
very good. He had had a touch of the jungle fever 
in the Bullum country, and I believe at Bombay a 
violent eruption came out all over his body ; but 
when I saw him he was getting convalescent, but 
was rather subject to slight touches of fever and 
ague. No one but those who have experienced 
these attacks are sensible how they undermine the 
constitution. They will turn a young man's hair 
gray very soon. I was but twenty-four years old 
when my favourite servant Francis, a Portuguese 
Christian, said : ' Master getting quite old gentle- 
man. I see two, three, four gray hairs.' I said : 
* Pull them out, you rascal.' ' Oh no, master ; me 
pull out, tousa7td come.' Colonel Wellesley was 
just thirty-two, and I saw some about his temples 
mixed with his fine crop of light-brown hair. 
Colonel Wellesley had a magnificent tent to dine in. 
the largest I ever saw. It took thirty Lascars to 
raise it. 

When we left Cannanore we had only a guard of 
six troopers ; between us and our friend the Coorga 
Rajah's country lay part of our enemy's, the Cotiote 
country. Colonel Wellesley and I dashed on to- 
gether first, unaccompanied by his staff or the 



A PERILOUS RIDE 117 

troopers, when he observed to me : * Now, Elers, 
if we are taken prisoners, I shall be hancred as being 
brother to the Governor-General, and you will be 
hanged for being found in bad company.' We had 
not to go above thirty miles, when we safely reached 
the territory of the Coorga Rajah. I felt my mind 
much relieved, for, notwithstanding the joking 
way in which the Colonel treated it, we should 
most assuredly have been put to death ; and in that 
case he would never have fought the Battle of 
Waterloo, or I recounted my adventures. 

Before I entirely take leave of this part of the 
Malabar coast, I must relate an accident that hap- 
pened to a man of the 77th Regiment. From the 
confined nature of the ground, overrun with jungle, 
it was difficult to find a vacant spot to pitch a tent, 
and there was no regularity in the pitching of the 
tents, officers' and privates' being close together. 
One day I was in Colonel Harcourt's tent, when 
a shot whizzed close by us. I ran out, thinking we 
were surprised ; but on inquiry I found that the 
armourers' forge of the 77th Regiment was pitched 
together with a tent where some tailors of the same 
regiment were at work close together. One of the 
armourers had a pistol to repair for an officer, and 
he, not aware that it was loaded, put it into the fire. 
It exploded, and the ball entered the temple of an 
unlucky tailor sitting at work in the next tent. It 
went in at one temple and out at the opposite ; but 
the poor tailor recovered from this extraordinary 



ii8 ELERS MEMOIRS 

wound, and I saw him alive and well six months 
after, but with the loss of both his eyes. 

On the night we arrived in the country of the 
Coorga Rajah we were sitting drinking our wine 
after dinner, congratulating ourselves that we had 
arrived there, when, looking through the tent doors, 
we saw the forest suddenly illuminated with torches, 
and many men carrying all sorts of game on 
bamboos. This was a present from the Rajah of 
Coorg to Colonel Wellesley, giving him a very 
small specimen of his day's sport, and hoping that 
he would spend a few days with him, as he was 
hunting his country. Among the specimens of the 
game sent were eleven elephants' tails, cut off that 
day ; a large snake ; a boa-constrictor, i6 feet in 
length, lashed to a long bamboo, and carried by six 
or seven coolies ; cheetahs, tigers, foxes, jackals, 
etc., and three immense carp. The Rajah had 
an annual hunt, and we happened to arrive on his 
hunting day. He sent his salaam, and said he 
should next day come and pay his respects to the 
Colonel. The next morning he sent two of his 
tents, and they were pitched close to ours. They 
were red and green striped. He also sent chess 
and backgammon boards of the handsomest sort, 
inlaid with ebony and ivory, and the chessmen of 
the finest kind, carved in ivory, with rose-water, 
betel, etc. 

The Rajah arrived soon after breakfast, preceded 
by a guard of about one hundred men, clothed in 



THE RAJAH OF COORG 119 

green, and armed with bows and arrows, the Rajah 
himself mounted on a charger, with English boots 
and pantaloons, the rest of his dress Eastern. He 
was a man of middle age, and spoke a little English. 
The two chiefs got off their horses, and immediately 
embraced three distinct times. They then retired 
to their tents and conversed in Persian, Major Ogg 
acting as interpreter. In one part of the conversa- 
tion I admired Colonel Wellesley's quickness in 
detecting Major Ogg giving an erroneous inter- 
pretation to a speech of his to the Rajah. The 
Colonel was clever in quickly acquiring languages, 
but spoke none very correctly, and I believe this 
applies to his Spanish and Portuguese at the present 
time. The poor Rajah urged that he had ever been 
faithful to the English, his country and revenue 
small, that the Company took from him by way of 
kist 5,000 pagodas annually, and he wished the 
Colonel to intercede for him with the Governor- 
General to remit it altogether, which the Colonel, 
to the great joy of the Rajah, promised to do. He 
pressed the Colonel to spend a few days hunting 
with him, but the Colonel told him he was most 
anxious to arrive at Seringapatam, but he promised 
him he would visit him at a more favourable 
opportunity. They parted with mutual expressions 
of goodwill and friendship, and Colonel Wellesley, 
wishing to make him a present according to Eastern 
custom, was much puzzled what to give him, not 
being prepared. He gave him a handsome English 



120 EI.ERS MEMOIRS 

ritie, which the Rajah was much pleased with, and 
said would be of L^reat use to him on his luintino 
excursions. 

Colonel Wellesley was so anxious to arrixe at ihe 
fort thai the two or lliree last nKuxhes were so lon^; 
and iMj^id that my servants and baggage were left 
behind, and I arrived at Seringapatam at the palace 
of the Dowlet Bagh without a single suit oi' clean 
clothes. He desired his head servant, an old 
fellow o\ the name oi X'ingetty. to give me w hatever 
oi his clothes I wanted, such as shirts, trousers and 
waistcoats, which fitted me verv well. and. above 
all. he ordered him to give me a good room and cot 
to sleep on. It was a back-room, and looked into 
the gardens of the palace. I was much pleased to 
lie down and recover from the fatigue I had gone 
through, for I was nearl)" knocked uy> lvo\u following 
the great man in his rapid movements. When the 
dinner-hour arrived he placed me on his left hand, 
and said : ' That is your place ;' and there I sat 
every day for the next three months. We sat in 
the centre of the table, his A. D.C.. Captain West, 
at the top oi' the table, and Captain Barclay, the 
Deputy Adjutant-General, at the bottom. This 
comprised the family, but there were always other 
officers, guests, altogether from eight to a dozen, 
every day. Colonel Wellesley kept a plain but 
good table. He had a very good appetite, and his 
favourite dish was a roast saddle of mutton and 
salad. This dish was placed opposite to him, and 



COLONEL WELLKSLEY'S TABLE-TALK 1 2 1 

he generally made his dinner off it. He was very 
abstemious with wine ; drank four or five glasses 
with people at dinner, and about a pint of claret 
after. He was very even in his temper, laughing 
and joking with those he liked, speaking in his quick 
way, and dwelling particularly upon the few (^at that 
time) situations he had been placed in before the 
enemy, the arrangements he had made, and their 
fortunate results, all of which were applauded by his 
staff, who had shared in the glory and peril. This 
generally formed tlie topic of conversation after 
dinner. He was particularly severe upon any 
neglect of the commissariat department, and openly 
declared that, if he commanded an army, he should 
not hesitate to hang a Com^nissary for any derelic- 
tion of duty. He was very apprehensive of being 
superseded in his command of Mysore ; and when a 
General F"razer of the King's service had at that 
time just landed in India, he was apprehensive he 
might take his command from him. He said : ' We 
want no Major- Generals in Mysore.' 

I remember one day, on our march from Can- 
nanore, he received an overland despatch from 
I^ngland. The chief item of intelligence was that 
the Earl of Mornington, then Marquess of Wellesley, 
had received a pension of ;^5,ooo a year for his 
services and judicious arrangements with respect to 
the war with Tippoo Sahib. The next was a brevet 
giving the old Colonels the step of Major-Generals. 
He was all hope and animation. ' Do you happen 



122 ELERS MEMOIRS 

to have an Army List. F.lers ?' I said 'Yes,' and I 
ran to my tent and fetched it for him, saying : ' 1 
am sorry to tell you. Colonel, it does not include you 
as a Major-General. You are within about live or 
six. oi it.' He said sorrowfully : ' u1/y /lij^/iest ambi- 
tion is to be a Jfa/or-Crt'/ura/ in His Majesty's 
service.' This was uttered to me in May. iSoi. 
Fourteen years afterwards he had fought the Battle 
o\' Waterloo, conquered Bonaparte, was a Prince, a 
Duke, a Knight of the Garter. Grand Cross of the 
Bath, a Grandee of Spain, and a Grand Cross of. 
1 believe, i^vtu-v order ot knighthood in luu'ope. 
His humble friend. I, lieorge Elers. at that time 
took his hand and said to comfort him : ' Never 
mind. Colonel ; the next brevet must bring you in, 
and in a few days you will have the command ot 
Seringapatam, where honour and wealth attend 
on you !' 

A few days after our coming to Seringapatam 
arrived rather a pretty cUid lively woman, a 
Mrs. Stephenson, the wife oi Colonel Stephenson, 
awaiting her husband's arrival from the Cotiote 
country. With his usual gallantry and politeness 
to the fair, apartments were assigned to the lady by 
the Colonel, and she made for some time a very 
pleasant addition to our circle. 

I used to go out sometimes with the Colonel 
on his elephant. He had a very handsome how- 
dah to it, and the elephant was entirely covered 
over with supertine scarlet cloth, hanging within 



CHKPTAH HUNTING 123 

two f('f;t of the ^rounc]. I think thf- howdah 
was a present frfjm Colonel Close, of the Com- 
pany's service. When Colonel Wellesley was first 
appointed to the command of Seringapatam, Tip- 
])()() Sahib's hunting' establishment was found in 
the fort, and thf-. Colonel wrote to Government 
about it. 'J he Government did not wish to 
be at the expense of keeping it up, and Colonel 
Wellesley kept them at his own charge. They 
consisted of several leopards and cheetahs, with 
their keepers, regularly trained for the purpose of 
hunting the antelope on the plains of Seringapatam. 
It is very well to see it once, but it is poor sport. 
'I'he company go out on elephants and on horseback. 
The cheetahs are placed with their keepers on what 
are called hackerries, or small open carts drawn by 
bullocks ; they are hoodwinked and ready to be 
let slip when a herd of deer appear. The antelope 
is a very shy animal, and will not allow you to 
approach nearer than some two hundred yards. This 
having been accomplished, the hackerries stop, and 
the man takes the bandage off the cheetah's eyes. 
He leaps like a cat upon the ground, and sinks down 
upon his belly, wagging his tail. He fixes his eyes 
upon one particular deer, steals along for thirty or 
forty paces, and then crouches down. After doing 
this two or three times the herd take themselves off 
full gallop, all but one unfortunate, whose eyes have 
been fascinated by the cheetah. He endeavours to 
escape ; he makes a feeble effort, when the cheetah 



124 ELERS MEMOIRS 

in a few bounds overtakes him and fastens upon 
him. The keeper runs up, throws the winkers over 
the cheetah's eyes, and preserves the antelope from 
being eaten up ; but Hfe is extinct. He takes out 
a knife, and, extracting the entrails, they are given 
to the cheetah as a reward for his pains. All the 
motions of a cheetah are exactly like those of a cat 
upon a lawn springing after birds. 

We had a billiard-table at the palace, and I used 
to play sometimes with Captain West. I once 
remember playing two games with Colonel Wellesley, 
in both of which I beat him. We used to get up 
early in the morning and attend the garrison parade, 
and Colonel Wellesley used, of course, to be saluted 
by the Guards as they marched off. His dress iit 
this time consisted of a /ou^ coat, the uniform of the 
33rd Regiment, a cocked hat, white pantaloons, 
Hessian boots and spurs, and a large sabre, the 
handle solid silver, and the mounting of the 
scabbard of the same metal, but all gilt. He never 
wore powder, though it was at that time the regula- 
tion to do so. His hair was cropped close. I have 
heard him say he was convinced the wearing of hair 
powder was very prejudicial to health as impeding 
the perspiration, and he was doubtless right. 

Major Woodall joined our regiment about this 
time, bringing up with him a lady he had lately 
married •} she was a Miss Cochrane, a natural 

^ Janet, widow of Major Thomas Woodall, of the 12th Regi- 
ment, married, June 8, 1S07, Sir George Tuite, Bart. 



A COURT-MARTIAL 125 

daughter of the Earl of Dundonald, and now married 
to Sir George Tuite, Baronet. 

About this time an unpleasant business took place 
at Seringapatam, which obliged Colonel Wellesley 
to act as prosecutor at a General Court-Martial 
ordered to take place at Seringapatam upon three 
officers of the artillery of the Company's Service — 
viz., Lieutenant-Colonel Saxon, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Mandeville, and Captain Macintire. I believe the 
whole court-martial was composed of field officers 
drawn from all parts of the coast. I remember one, 
Colonel the Hon. G. St. John, and there were 
some field officers of the 84th and 86th. It made 
an addition to our dinner-table, but all the day the 
Colonel was occupied from ten o'clock until four at 
the court, and I saw little of him. 

The trials lasted a month, and the Colonel 
executed this unpleasant duty with all that tact and 
judgment which has so much distinguished him in 
after-times of much greater difficulty and importance. 
The charges laid to these officers were peculation 
and defrauding the Company at the arsenal of 
bell metal, etc., to a large amount. They were all 
sentenced to be dismissed the Service and sent home 
immediately. I was very sorry for the fate of poor 
old Saxon ; he had, I believe, risen from the 
ranks. Poor devil ! he had dined at the Colonel's 
table but a few days before he was put under 
arrest, little thinking what was so soon to happen to 
him. An officer by the name of F , of the 



126 ELERS MEMOIRS 

artillery, was appointed to Captain Macintire's post 
bringing- with him a very young and rather prettx 
woman for his wife. Colonel Wellesley had at that 
time a very susceptible heart, particularly towards, 
I am sorry to say, married ladies, and his pointed 
attention to this lady gave offence to, not her 
husband, but to the aide-de-camp, who considered 
it hiohlv immoral and indecorous, and a coolness 
took place between West and the Colonel, and they 
did not speak all the remaining time I lived with 
the Colonel. Lady Tuite, then Mrs. Woodall, 
interfered in the same officious way, which the 
Colonel did not forget ; for in after-times, upon 
meeting him at a large party, when she held out 
her hand to shake hands with him, he put both his 
hands behind his back and made her a low bow. 

For my own part, I abhor the seduction of 
innocent girls, and think it wrong to intrigue with 
married women ; but if I witness anything going on 
between two people, and the husbafid does not see 
or choose to take notice of it, I think none but 
a father or a brother has a right to interfere. You 
are sure to get into a scrape and make enemies of 
all parties. And as for Colonel Wellesley, he never 
in these matters interfered with others, but, on the 
contrary, once kindly assisted me in a little affair of 
gallantry I had, but not with a married woman. 
But this was in a spirit of gratitude, I having 
assisted him on a like occasion. The Colonel, in 
after-life, proved most grateful to the lady, and 
provided by his interest for some of her children. 



CHAPTER IX 

A riding wager — Trichinopoli — Racing — A duel — Gets his 
captaincy — Losses in the Funds — Colonel Brown — Pondi- 
cherri — Adventure with a cobra. 

Having lived with the Colonel for about three 
months, and my regiment having established a good 
mess in the fort, I told him that if he would provide 
me with a good house I would not trespass on his 
hospitality farther. He gave me a good quarter, 
consisting of three rooms and offices for my servants 
and stables for my horses. I used to wait upon him 
occasionally with the report of the main guard, and 
at other times used to go uninvited to breakfast with 
him, when he invariably said, in his quick way : 
' Elers, will you dine here to-day ?' I am sure he 
could not say I ever refused him. 

About this time, September, 1801, my friends 
Colonel Harcourt and Captain Crawford procured 
permission to visit Calcutta, the former to see his 
old friend the Marquess of Wellesley, and Captain 
Crawford on a trip of pleasure and curiosity. The 
Colonel had left the regiment but a short time when, 
about the beginning of October, we received orders 
to proceed to the Carnatic, to a station called 

[ 127 ] 



128 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Trichinopoli. about two hundred miles south of 
Madras. Just previously to this I sold Colonel 
Wellesley the curricle Colonel Harcourt brought 
from England, and he was quite pleased with his 
purchase. He soon got a pair of horses to run In 
it. He said it was a much safer conveyance than a 
buggy, for where two horses could go, the wheels 
could follow. One night at the mess, just before we 
left Seringapatam, the conversation turned upon the 
powers of English horses on long journeys. I said 
I could ride my Arab horse fifty miles for three days 
in succession, even in that climate. My friend Sale 
offered to bet me 500 pagodas I could not do it. 
I laid the wager, and was to do it exactly one 
ivcck after our arrival at Trichinopoli. Having 
made the wager tJiis %vay, I made it very much 
against myself; but I finally overcame all difficulties, 
and won my wager with great ease. In the first 
place, it was the very height of the monsoon, raining 
sheets of water. I took my horse under the cover 
of my own tent during the night, and in the day he 
was, like his master, obliged to rough it. The pass — 
that is, the descent from the Ghauts down into the 
Carnatic — was full of sharp rocks, and there was 
great danger of laming my horse, besides either of 
us falling sick. However, we arrived all safe, and I 
got a piece of ground marked out all round a most 
extensive cantonment, measuring exactly six miles, 
and had my grooms ready to rub down, with water, 
etc., all ready, and I started one morning at one a.m. 



TRICHINOPOLI 129 

and finished my first fifty miles with ease by five 
o'clock in the afternoon. In short, I completed my 
task with great ease and won my wager. 

On arriving at Trichinopoli, which is situated at 
the foot of an immense rock, we were placed in 
cantonments about a mile from the fort, at a place 
called Warriore. I found Major Picton here with 
the three companies that had been on service to the 
southward among the refractory Polygars, and also 
the two companies that had been to sea, to the east- 
ward, where they had gone as far as Batavia. We 
were all very happy to see each other again. 

About this time I heard from Colonel Harcourt, 
who said that he and Crawford were well and very 
happy, and were living with the Governor-General ; 
they were then to take a trip up the country, many 
hundred miles from Calcutta, visiting the upper 
provinces of Bengal. Major-General Brydges, 
a Company's officer commanding the Southern 
Division of the army, lived in the vicinity of 
Trichinopoli ; also an old gentleman of the name 
of Darke, formerly very rich, and to whom the 
Nabob of Arcot was indebted for many lakhs of 
rupees. He had one only daughter,^ married to 
General Floyd, who had been long stationed here 
in command of the 19th Light Dragoons. By this 
lady he had Julia, married to the great statesman, 
the present Sir Robert Peel, Bart. Captain Prescot, 

1 Rebecca Juliana, daughter of Charles Darke of Madras. 
Married, January 29, 177 1, Sir John Floyd, Bart. 

9 



I JO ELERS MEMOIRS 

of the Artillery ; William Hawkins. Esq., of the 
Civil Service ; Colonel Browne, the officer command- 
ing the detachment proceeding to Sering-apatam ; 
Major Lennon and wife : Wallace and wife, a French 
lady, the former a civilian ; and Mr. Irwin and lady. 
his assistant, besides several other officers and their 
ladies, so that we had a very good society, and used 
to get up subscription balls that were very well 
attended. But our o;rand effort was establishingr 
some subscription races, and Captain l.aing. ot the 
Company's service, and Lieutenant King, oi ours, 
were the chief promoters oi some races here that 
wouki have done credit to anv town in E no-land. 
The General commanding set a good example by 
his liberal subscription, as also Mr. Hawkins, and 
all the officers composing the garrison. We collected 
a sum sufficient to give amusement for three days, 
with public breakfasts, ball, etc. 

The first day a plate of /" i oo was run for between 
Captain Laing's bay Arab, Little Jem ; Mr. Irwin's 
l^ragon, a bay Arab ; and Lieutenant Elers' gray 
Arab. Aboukir — two-mile heats. This was allowed 
to be one of the finest races ever run. I rode my 
favourite gray, and had never ridden a regular race 
before. The other two horses were ridden by men 
of the regiment who had been professed jockeys. 
The first heat I lost by not more than a head, and 
the second heat I won by the same distance. These 
heats were contested with Little Jem. The third 
horse, Mr. Irwin's, had no chance. Everyone 



HORSE-RACING 131 

thought I was certain of winning. But I was very 
much exhausted, for my horse evinced, particularly 
in the second heat, a disposition to bolt, and I could 
scarcely keep him on the course, particularly within 
a few hundred yards of the winning--post, which was 
the more provoking. 

We went off for the third heat, and I evidently 
had it all my own way until I came to a certain spot ; 
1 was at least six or seven lengths before Little Jem 
when my hands got cramped, my reins relaxed, and 
my horse swerved from the course, and Little Jem, 
I had the mortification to see, passed me in a canter 
and won the race. The owner of the third horse, 
Dragon, who, I believe, was distanced the second heat, 
came up to me and gave me a challenge to run the 
next day for a thousand pagodas, and said he merely 
lost the race by the badness of his jockey. I said 
* Done !' and it was settled to be run the next day. 
I well knew the great superiority of my horse, and 
that I only lost the race from the cramp I got in my 
hand. But to make this race certain I went immedi- 
ately to the man who rode Little Jem, and secured 
him to ride for me. 

The next day, just as the horses were saddling, 
Mr. Irwin began to quake, and he begged me to let 
the stake be only for one-half of the original bet. I 
did not like to take any advantage, and consented. 
I won the race with the greatest ease ; and on the 
third day I won with the same horse a handsome 
cup of /50, which I brought to the mess. It held 

9—2 



132 ELKRS MEMOIRS 

eight quart biHtlos. It was emptied several times 
on that night in honour ot' Aboukir. 

After the races we had an elegant breakfast, and 
afterwards dancing ; and we had amusements for 
the men. such as jumping in sacks and running 
after a pig with his tail soaj>ed. .And on the 
retirement oi the ladies we concluded the sports oi 
the day with chicken hazard. I won more rupees 
that day than I could well carry home, but which, as 
I recollect. I contrived to do. walking in the heat of 
the sun. as I had no conveyance. This was the 
happiest week 1 ever passed in India; everything 
seemed to prosper with me. I lived in the same 
quarter with Colonel Picton, and used always to 
breakfast with him. In the middle of the ciay we 
used to drive to the fort oi' Trichinopoli. where 
Mr. Hawkins had a capital house, a good billiard- 
table, good tiffins, and the house always full oi 
pleasant people. Among others was a worthy old 
man by name Peter Key ; he was a gray-headed, 
retired old Captain of Native Infantry. He came 
out for the second time with us in the same fleet, 
and used to call us ' his boys.' He lived a great 
deal with Mr. Hawkins. Mr. H. was a crood man. 
a great oddity, but much respected. He was an 
Irishman, and a brother to Adniiral Whitshed. and 
son to the late Bishop of Raphoe. 

About this time an unpleasant afl"air took place 
between Assistant-Surgeon Washington Price and 
Captain Nixon, arising from a quarrel which took 



A DUEL 133 

place some months before at Seringapatam, Nixon 
came to me anrl borrowed my pistols, the brace that 
were Colonel Aston's. Mr. Price and he met, and 
Captain Nixon's shot took effect in the fleshy part 
of Price's hand, hit the stock of his pistol, and the 
ball lodged near the top of the arm and was cut out 
directly. And there the business ended. Captain 
Nixon soon after obtained leave and went home. 

We had not been at Warriore above six months 
when the regiment was moved to the barracks and 
cantonments formerly occupied by the 19th Light 
Dragoons on Trichinopoli plain, a short distance 
only from Warriore. There were no barracks for 
the officers, but they lived in detached bungalows 
wherever they could get them. Mr. Hawkins lent 
me a capital house and gardens of his called Belfont, 
something more than a quarter of a mile from the 
barracks and the same distance from the mess-room. 
But I had plenty of horses and a chaise. I think I 
had five horses at this time. One of them was a 
Pegu pony, black as jet, the most beautiful creature 
I ever .saw. He was one of three that Major 
Woodall brought from Pegu with him. He cost me 
a large price. I used always to ride him to parade, 
and at night he was always sent for me to the mess- 
room to bring me home. 

About this time poor Major Woodall left us sick 
for Madras. I bought a very pretty portable library 
from him, consisting of Bell's Plays and others, 
about sixty or seventy volumes, enclosed in wooden 



134 ELERS MEMOIRS 

cases, with locks and keys, tliat shut up for travelling, 
besides a good deal of furniture, etc. Poor fellow ! 
he died shortly after at Madras. 

About this time (June, 1802) I received a letter 
from Colonel Harcourt, telling me he Was on his way 
overland to England with despatches of great im- 
portance from the Governor-General, and that I 
should see him back very shortly. He went, and 
did not remain in England more than three weeks. 
It was about three months after this that I received 
a kind letter from Colonel W^ellesley^ to say he had 
written to Mr. North, the Governor of Ceylon, to 
procure me a company in some Malay corps raised 
for His Majesty's service in the island of Ceylon, 
but that he had not received any answer. Colonel 
W^ellesley strongly recommended me to apply to my 
friend Colonel Harcourt to use his inHuence with 
the Governor-General for that purpose. I think 
there was a coolness between Colonel Wellesley and 
his brother the Marquess at that time, or I think he 
would have applied to him himself in my favour. 

Soon after this Major Picton, as commanding 
officer, received the intelligence that Captain Hast- 
ings Frazer had got promoted out of our regiment 
at home, and that his company was for sale. At 
this time I had three or four Lieutenants senior to 
me, among others one of the name of Cavendish, a 
distant relation of the Duke of Devonshire, and a 
connection of Lord William Bentinck, the Governor 
' See p. 270. — Ed. 



PROMOTED CAPTAIN 135 

of Madras. Poor Cavendish went down to Madras 
and endeavoured to interest his lordship in his 
favour, but without success. I cannot account for 
it, for Lord WiUiam I ever found very kind and 
ol)h";^ing to me as far as hospitality went. However, 
this company was kept vacant for some months to 
give Cavendish the chance of procuring the money, 
which was not acting fairly towards me, as I ought 
to have been a Captain of the early part of 1802 
instead of May, 1803. I should have got the rank 
of a Brevet-Major before I quitted the Service if I 
had been a captain of 1802. Major Picton at length 
was obliged to forward my name to General Lake 
on May 6, 1803, ^^^^ "^Y promotion to the vacant 
company. At this time the Bengal army, under 
General Lake, was most actively employed in the 
great Mahratta war against Holkar, while General 
Wellesley was as much engaged against the other 
chieftain Scindiah, in the north-west part of India. 
General Lake was so much engaged that from the 
time my recommendation went off, the first week in 
May, we had no promotions published until the last 
week in November, when at length, to my great 
joy, I found myself in orders as a Captain in the 
1 2th Regiment. 

I had reduced my little fortune very considerably, 
when I gave Mr, Hutchinson the most positive 
orders to sell out of the Pounds all the stock I had in 
the three per cents, I think it was just previous to 
the peace, or perhaps just after war was again 



136 KLERS MEMOIRS 

declared, and when the people were threatened with 
invasion. However, the stocks, the three per cents, 
were down to 4S, and I believe they never were 
lower, and this reduced my little fortune nearly one- 
half. So I was determined, directly my recom- 
mendation went oil' for my promotion, that 1 would 
live with the greatest economy. 1 sold off my stud, 
in the first place, bu^^y, horse and harness, and dis- 
charged my Hookah Bedar. and lived very quietly 
at the mess. I still kept up a good tiffin and plenty 
of negus, called sangaree, for any officers that would 
call upon me. In tlie course of seven months I had 
saved considerably more than two hundred pounds, 
and continued to do so for some time. 

I asked leave to visit the coast about this time, 
and 1 went to Negapatam. and on my return called 
for a few days on a Captain Blackburne, the military 
resident at Tanjore. He had a good billiard-table, 
and played well. I found a Brahmin here who 
professed to paint miniatures, and I sat to him, and 
sent home the picture and a gold Frichinopoli chain 
as a present to my cousin, Mrs. Tennant. But she 
valued neither — the picture she gave to one of the 
Miss Hutchinsons, and the gold chain she gave to 
the Hon. Mrs. Tennant. Colonel Brown was so 
kind as to take charge of these things, and had the 
miniature very handsomely mounted on his arrival 
in England. Colonel Archibald Brown was a 
singular man. He was a Scotchman ; a fine, military 
figure, six feet high, very rich, very generous, very 



COLONEL ARCHIBALD BROWN 137 

friendly, cv(^n to excess with his [jursr;. 1 le never 
stirred out of his fine large quarter, and saw very 
little company ; but kept a good table, and he took a 
great fancy to me — perhaps it was partly on account 
of our going up together to the siege of Seringa- 
patam. However, he was always delighted when I 
called upon him, but most particularly so when I 
would leave my own mess and call to dine with him, 
uninvited. We always dined tete-a-tete, when we 
had our cool bottle of claret, and he used to enter- 
tain me with his early adventures in India, the wars 
of Sir Eyre Coote, the defeat of Baillie's detachment, 
and the wars of Lord Cornwallis. Among his other 
military stories was one that took place about the 
year 1 795. He commanded a force that took a small 
Dutch settlement to the eastward. The Governor, 
a Dutchman, invited him to come and live with him 
and his family. He contracted a friendship with this 
man ; and lent him a considerable sum of money to 
pursue some mercantile speculation, which did not 
prove fortunate. The merchant when he borrowed 
the money gave the Colonel his bond for it. The 
pcjor merchant suffered much unhappiness at the 
debt he had incurred with Colonel Brown, and the 
little prospect he had of redeeming his bond. 
Colonel Brown, in the most generous way, said : 
' My dear friend, do not make yourself uneasy. 
Here is the bond. I will now destroy it. If you 
are ever able to discharge it, do so. If not, I shall 
never ask you.' There was another instance of his 



138 ELERS MEMOIRS 

generous nature. Mr. Hawkins was once reerettine 
his improvidence in his earHer career, which pre- 
vented him from returning home as others did with 
an independence. ' My dear Hawkins, share with 
me what I have got. I have enough for both of us.' 
So said this generous, excellent man Colonel Brown. 
I always felt happy in his society. His sentiments 
were so noble and chivalrous, they quite inspired one 
to emulate them. Colonel Brown returned home 
about the latter end of the year 1802, and when I 
returned in 1806 I found him living- in a good house 
in Sackville Street. When Colonel Brown left me 
in India I lost a sincere and kind friend, whose 
memory I shall ever honour. He died at his house 
in Curzon Street at an advanced age, leaving a 
sister and a nephew of the name of Knox, in a house 
of agency at Madras, the heir (sir) to his fortune. 

In May, 1803, I obtained leave of absence to visit 
Madras. I went in a palanquin, and visited Pondi- 
cherri on my way down, and put up at the commanding 
officer's house. Colonel Keith, a widower with one 
daughter, a lovely girl of about eighteen. I remained 
there one night and went to a ball. Colonel Keith 
gave me news oi' my elder brother, then a Captain 
in the 43rd Regiment. I believe he knew my 
brother in the West Indies. The journey down to 
Madras, a distance of two hundred miles, appeared 
very tedious ; and as I had but one set of bearers to 
my palanquin, I was many days on the way. At last 
I arrived at Madras, and after reporting myself at 



^5o,ooo AT PIQUET 139 

the Adjutant - General's office I waited on the 
Governor, Lord William Bentinck, lately arrived 
from England, My reception was very kind, and 
he asked me to come and dine with him the next 
day. I was introduced to Lady William and her 
brother, the Honourable Edward Acheson and 
Colonel Monckton, the two aides-de-camp of Lord 
William. I remember we had some of the finest 
Hermitage I ever drank. I went out to St. Thome, 
and lived at the garden house of Captain Kerby 
Dalrymple, where his brother, Captain D. of the 
19th Regiment, was also living. Kerby Dalrymple 
was one of the Seringapatam prize agents, had sold 
out of the army, and had turned merchant. He 
kept his carriage, a post-chaise, and lived very hand- 
somely. When I was not engaged playing piquet 
with his brother, I used to go with Kerby to the fort 
in his carriage, and return in the evening. Captain 
Hugh Dalrymple was at that time a very fine player 
at this game, and I was a pupil of Major Picton's, 
with whom I used often to play from morning until 
night. Major Picton used to play whist and piquet 
for very large sums and with great success. This 
Hugh Dalrymple some years after arrived in 
England, and at Graham's Club he used to play 
with the celebrated Major Aubrey. The present 
Marquess of Hertford matched Dalrymple against 
Aubrey, and won of Aubrey ^40,000 and 
Dalrymple won of Aubrey ^10,000. It is not 
to be wondered that Dalrymple beat me, but I 



I40 ELERS MEMOIRS 

lost only a very trifling sum to him. With the 
regiment I used to play pools with Colonel Picton 
and Captain Crawford for small stakes. So I was 
in very good practice, and was a tolerable match for 
most players — that is to say for those who were not 
regular blacklegs. I returned to my regiment, and 
brought up with me a very handsome buggy and 
beautiful dun pony to run in it. 

Soon after my arrival, one night on returning from 
the mess, on getting into bed I had occasion to go 
into the garden. My servant Francis said : ' Pray 
stop, massa. Let me get lanthorn. Sometime bad 
snake bite massa.' I paid no attention to this 
prudent advice, and as I opened the door Francis 
put the lanthorn into my hand, by the light of 
which I saw, curled round the seat, an enormous 
cobra de capello. I instantly shut the door, loaded 
my gun, and on opening the door gently, he was laid 
coiled up in one corner. I shot at him and nearly 
cut him in two, and he gave a loud hiss and sprang 
out between me and Francis, and with large bamboos 
we despatched him. The next morning I cut off his 
head, and by way of experiment placed the leg of a 
live chicken between his jaws, and compressing them, 
inserted the fangs in the fleshy part of the chicken's 
thigh. The poor chicken did not live three minutes 
after. There never was a spot more likely for 
snakes than this garden, it was so luxuriant in 
vegetation, being well watered from a neighbouring 
spring. I had a most narrow escape of my life. 



COLONEL PATER 141 

On the departure of General Brydges for England, 
the command of the Southern Division of the army 
devolved upon a Colonel Pater, a very good-natured 
but enormously fat man, of the cavalry. He and 
Colonel Picton were great friends. I recollect his 
orders were couched in the most ridiculous inflated 
language that made us all laugh. 



CHAPTER X 

Athletics — Pet tiger and alligator — Colonel Wellesley's terrier — 
Bhil robbers — A servant's honesty — By sea to Vizagapatam — 
Fight between the Centurion and French frigates — Colonel 
Harcourt at Cuttack — Chicken hazard — Juggernaut — 
Calcutta — Lord Wellesley — A billiard match — Tigers on 
Sangor Island — Back to Madras — Atrocity at Travancore — 
Lord Lake's siege of Bhurtpore — General Wellesley's K.C.B. 
— The Duke of Clarence and Mr. Calcraft — Aston at 
Ranelagh — Aston's duel with Sumner — Surcouff. 

About July, 1804, I received a letter from Colonel 
Harcourt, giving me an invitation to come and pay 
him a visit at Cuttack. He had been some time 
before appointed secretary to the Governor-General, 
when he was appointed to the command of about 
five thousand men sent against this country, lying 
about three hundred miles to the southward of 
Calcutta towards the Carnatic. He had built a 
good house at Cuttack, and was established there 
with a Staff and everything comfortable about him, 
and desired me to get six months' leave of absence 
and join him, when he would give me an Arabian 
horse to ride and furnish me with a hookah to smoke, 
which we were both very fond of. After procuring 
my leave of absence, I began to make preparations 

[ 142 1 



A HOPEFUL YOUTH 143 

by selling off my horses, buggy, furniture, hookah, 
books, only reserving a small quantity of plate, which 
I unfortunately took to Madras with me. I say un- 
fortunately, because I lost it (the plate) through 
doing a kind action. I lent it to a Captain of our 
regiment who, with his wife, had just arrived from 
England. He died a few months after, and his widow 
would not return it to me or pay me for it, and I had 
no acknowledgment to say it was lent and was to be 
returned. But she was not a lady, and was only 
living with him as his mistress. I also lost a new 
tent. I left it with the regiment, and Colonel 
Forsteen, at that time only a Captain, bought it, and 
placed the money in the paymaster's hands, a Lieu- 
tenant Jagger. He died, and I lost this also. I 
forgot to mention that when I sold off my stud the 
first time upon resolving to save all I could, a young, 
dashing civilian, a sad, wild young Irish boy, and a 
natural son of the Earl of Buckinghamshire, came 
into my stable and wanted to purchase the whole lot. 
I sold him two horses, and my favourite Arab 
horse, Aboukir, was one. I got his note of hand 
for 500 pagodas for them, which I never should 
have got but through a rich black man, who, to get 
' master's favour,' as they say, cashed the bills. 
This hopeful youth's name was Ellis, and he died 
some years after a great deal in debt. 

I felt very sorry to leave the regiment. I felt a 
certain presentiment that I never should see it or the 
officers again. I loved the old regiment and many 



144 ELERS MEMOIRS 

of the men. I used to practise manly oames with 
them in the heat of the sun. particularly the game of 
cricket, quoits, and a game called long bullets. At 
the latter game Sale could beat me, but at quoits 
there were only two men in the regiment could beat 
me, and they belonged to my own company — Sharpe, 
a Yorkshire man, and Ostler, an Essex man, who 
taught me. and also the art of swimming. I was in 
those days very active, and few could beat me at 
leaping, either over a garter or in distance. I could 
leap both backwards and forwards eighteen feet, 
when to my utter astonishment a man, by name 
Burchinhoft, of my company, beat me by five feet. 

Among other little pets I kept was a small tiger, 
which I had as soon as it could see. I remember it 
had a most unpleasant smell, rolling among the 
carrion its dam brought into its lair. I had also a 
small alligator, not more than a foot long. But of 
all my pets, my favourite was the most beautiful 
terrier I ever saw. He was small, jet black-and-tan, 
with a little white on his breast. I gave him the 
name of Jack, after the name of a very great pet and 
favourite of Colonel Wellesley's, a terrier who once 
followed Colonel W'ellesley to Chitteldroog from 
Seringapatam, a distance of more than a hundred 
miles. When the Colonel arrived at the foot of 
Chitteldroog, they fired a salute in compliment to 
him. The dog was frightened, and ran away, and 
the Colonel gave him up for lost. A few days after 
he received a letter from Seringapatam to say that 



BHIL ROBBERS 145 

the do^ had found his way ?jack. In India then; 
are no beaten tracks or roads, which renders it the 
more, extraordinary. This little dog of mine accom- 
panied mf; by sea and land to Calcutta and back 
to Madras. 

Trichinopoli has ever been famous for robberies 
committed by a .set of thieves living in the hills, 
called Bhils. These robberies were of the most im- 
pudent and daring description. They strip them- 
selves entirely naked and oil themselves all over ; so 
if they are caught they slip through your fingers like 
an eel, and .so make their escape. A report was 
current that they entered the barracks where the 
19th Light Dragoons lay one night and stole all 
their pistols, sabres, etc., when the men were a.sleep. 
We had not been in these quarters long when 
scarcely a night passed upon which they did not pay 
us a visit. They came to my stable and took a new 
saddle. It was bound round with a metal resem- 
bling silver upon the cantel of the saddle. They 
tore this off, and considerably damaged the saddle in 
doing so. I recovered the saddle. They had thrown 
it away among some rocks. They seldom came into 
the quarters in the night, but about two hours before 
daybreak, as they conclude people are generally 
sounder asleep at that time. Dr. Campbell one 
night was determined not to go to sleep all night, 
and having loaded his pistols, laid them on the chair 
by the bedside. At their usual hour they paid the 
doctor a visit. Two of them came into the bedroom, 

10 



146 ELERS MEMOIRS 

and the doctor began to snore, pretending to be fast 
asleep. They, thinking this was so, began to ex- 
amine the combs, razors, brushes, etc., very coolly, 
and after they had gratified their curiosity one of 
them took up a light trunk, put it on his head, and 
leisurely walked out of the room with it. His com- 
panion got another trunk, put it on his head, and 
followed. Dr. Campbell then jumped out of bed, 
and as the poor wretch was running away fired at 
him at the distance of a few paces. The ball entered 
his back and came out at his breast. After this he 
ran off so strong that Campbell thought he had not 
hit him. At last he fell. I saw him groaning and 
lamenting, lying under the shade of a milk hedge, 
crying out to us most piteously to cure him, and he 
would show us where all the thieves were and deliver 
up all the plunder. He did not die till sunset. 
After that we had no more robberies. 

While I was in the Mysore country I had a large 
sum of money belonging to the men of my company. 
I had it in a trunk, and gave it and the key to my 
head servant. One day the servant was not to be 
found ; he had been tired of long marches and a 
camp life, and had fairly run off I, of course, gave 
up all thoughts of finding my money ; he had taken 
the keys with him, and I was obliged to have the 
trunk broken open, and to my great joy the money 
was all safe. It was considerably more than a 
hundred pounds. The man thought that if he left 
the keys, a common and universal practice when a 



A FAITHFUL SERVANT 147 

servant runs away, they might fall into bad hands, 
and I should have been plundered, and he would 
have had the credit of havinc^ robbed me. The 
native servants are generally great thieves, although 
some are as remarkable for their strict honesty and 
fidelity. It was my good fortune to possess one of 
the latter. He came to me to be hired while I was 
living with Colonel Wellesley. He was a Portu- 
guese Christian by the name of Francis. He was 
an ugly man, and I told him so. He said : ' Massa 
must not mind ugly face ; I got good heart, and will 
serve massa faithfully.' I took him, and he lived 
with me until I w(!nt on board the ship that carried 
me to England. On the deck of that ship, the 
Hawkesbury, he said with the tears in his eyes : 
* Massa, if I had not wife and children, I never 
would leave; massa, but go England with massa.' 
He was the best of servants, so clever, so faithful, 
and so honest. He understood the dressing of a 
hookah, and dressed mine for some years. I made 
him a present of my hookah among other things 
when I left India. He understood the care of 
horses, and was also a good cook. In short, he was 
as a servant quite invaluable. 

I shall now, after this long digression, resume my 
narrative. 

I took leave of my regiment at Trichinopoli on 
August 6, 1804, and proceeded in a palanquin to 
Madras. I took a passage in ih^ Princess Charlotte, 
East Indiaman (the same ship that brought Colonel 

10 — 2 



148 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Wellesley from the Cape) to Vizacraptitam, laden 
with I know not what cargo ; but she was proceed- 
ing to that place for the purpose of bringing down 
bales of longcloth to Madras, and we were to be con- 
voyed by the WilJiebiiina, of iS guns, under the 
gallant Captain Lambert. The Wilhelmina could 
only have protected us against privateers, which 
swarmed between Madras and Bengal. It was very 
lucky for us that we did not meet with Admiral 
Linois, who, in the JMaroigo^ of 84 guns, and two 
heavy French frigates, was cruising about for 
plunder, and arrived at Vizagapatam two or three 
days after I had safely landed at that station, and 
Captain Lambert, having safely conducted the 
Princess Charlotte to Vizagapatam, had started upon 
another cruise. Colonel Alexander Campbell, of the 
74th Regiment, was the commanding officer of this 
station, and I lived at his house. I had been there 
about two days, when the Centuriou, of 50 guns, 
arrived for the purpose of protecting the Princess 
Charlotte with a valuable cargo of cloth for Madras. 

The Ce/iturion was at Madras, commanded by 
Captain Spratt Rainier, the Admiral's nephew ; he 
was, unluckily for him, left sick at Madras, and Com- 
mander Lind took the ship in charge on this occasion. 
I remember Captain Lind, who was an ugly little 
old-fashioned fellow of about fifty, dining with us on 
the day he arrived with his purser and one of his 
Lieutenants. 

According to my usual custom, I was up by day- 



A NAVAL ENGAGEMENT 149 

li^ht, and, looking seaward, I saw thn^c large ships, 
hull down, standing in to the bay. Captain Lind 
with his i)urser had slept at the house of the 
I lonourable Alexander Murray, of the Civil Service, 
and after reporting what I saw to Colonel Campbell, I 
went to Mr. Murray, who with his wife and Captain 
Lind were at breakfast. Mr, Murray's house 
was situated very high above sea-level, and com- 
manded the view of the whole bay. I told Captain 
Lind of the ships, and he got \\\) from the table and 
looked at them through a glass. He said he could 
not make out what they were, but thought they 
looked very suspicious. He b(!gged Mr. Murray to 
lend him his carriage to convey him to the beach. 
After he was gone about half an hour, the .ships 
were getting very close to the Centurion. They 
approached one after the other, the two frigates first, 
when the first French frigate, running close alongside, 
discharged her guns at the Centurion, and I dis- 
tinctly saw her boats that were lashed upon her 
quarter lly up like chips. The Centurion soon got 
up her anchor, and we distinctly heard the cheers of 
the British sailors as they continued to pour their 
broadsides into the two P'rench frigates. The 
Centurion stood out to sea, engaging the two frigates 
at the same time. At this crisis we saw the Cen- 
turion tack and stand inshore. The purser and 
myself naturally concluded the Centurion would run 
ashore to prevent her falling into the hands of the 
enemy. He began to cut his capers about the room, 



ISO i<:lfrs mkmcmrs 

and said \\c was a ruiiu\l man. all iiis hard oarniiios 
lost. When iho CcMiuriof! was standing inshoiw 
wc saw Capiain l.ind under a lu\i\\ luv in a small 
boat i^ci on bovU-d. and instead of running the ship 
ashore, which we e\ery minute expected, he let his 
anchor i;o with sprin^^s on his cable close inshore. 
The I'^XMich trii;ates also came to .m anchor, but at 
a loiv^ and cautious distance, one on \.\\c qu.uler. the 
Marctt^o amidships, and the other tViL;.ue .iheid. 
Many of the shot went o\ er \.\\c CiJi/ur/o/:, and were 
found up the countr\ . I saw manv heavv shot oi' 
6S pounds that wtMt,- atierw.iids broui^ht in. Soon 
after they took up this position they sent their 
boats .\nd look possession o\ ihc /^r/f/ic'ss Charlotte. 
A country ship called the Bunnxby xaw ashore, and 
soon wont to pieces in tlie surf Soon after the 
action commenced. 1 ran down to the beach awA 
oflered niy humble services to Colonel Campbell. 
He gave me the command ^^{ twi> ij-pounders. 
with some in\alid artillerymen to serve them. 
When the brench took possession <c>\. the Indiaman 
some of the carpenters wcmv on board the Indi.un.m 
belonging- to the Coituric);, who had gone to ^k^ 
some work early in the morning ; and instead 'oi 
going <>\\ board again they pulled ashore, giving as 
an excuse that they were afraid i^f being taken 
prisoners. I'olonel Campbc^ll ordered me to take. 
these carpenters back to the Centurion, vUid to take 
charge ot his son. who was to go with me o\\ this 
service. We got on board the Centurion, and the 



, r* 



r:p"Fi':cTs oi-- tjii: action i^i 

fip.i jjf:rson I saw was Capt;i.)r) LiiiH, his Ticf: black 
will) \><)W(\cr aiui lii'. sliirl sl':r;v.s liir.k'vl up^ in a 
ni'/,t prfjfli^if>iis lif:;i.t. I If; s;iifl h': w;is vf.ry ^I;i/1 lo 
^(':t Ills f:arpf:ntc.rs back, for Lh(; shi[> was making 
larj^f; (juantilif:s of watf:r, and thf;ir pumj>s were all 
at work. I saw tlu: rjftck torn u[) with J^rapc, anrl 
two port', on i\\(: larbo-irf) fjii;i.rtf:r kiiockf;d into on':, 
arul ;ill tlif:ir boats destroyf.d. I s;i.w tlif: rnc^uth of onrt 
of ifif. fnjns half takf.ri oii, whicli, on thf: ship rolling, 
sent it through thf; deck, and it canr-. out bf.twecn the 
legs of one of tlift men whr> was steering at the com- 
mf.ncemf-.nt of the action. One of thf, littKt middies 
showed me an escape he had by a round shot carrying 
aw;i,y fjart of his jacket. I saw several largf. trijnks 
of f lothes destroyerl by the shot. At K-.n^'lh, having 
executed rny orrlers and gratifierl my f;uriosity, I 
asked the Captain if he had any further orders for 
me, whf.n I tor>k my leavf.. I went rm .shore, and 
the hrench srjuadrf>n with thf.ir prizf. stood out to 
sea soon ;ift.':r I If:ft the Centurion. Consiflf;ririg the 
long tinif; the. Centurion was under fire lif:r Ifjss was 
very trifling. I have oft'-.n thought that wh^.n 
Colonel f^amj^bell wrote liis desjjatch to the Madras 
Government he might have mentioned my nam^; as 
having volunteered my humble .services to him. 
I'f^r I was mf;rely a visitor on leave of ab5,f;ncf:, and 
had no f>ccasion to do what I did. Captain Lind got 
his post rank and was made a C.B., and afterwards 
knighted, and his first Lieutenant a 0>mmander. 
The Centurion was obliged to go to liombay to be 



152 ELERS MEMOIRS 

repaired, but not into dry dock. She soon after- 
wards proceeded to England, where she went under 
thorough repair ; a 68-pound shot was found buried 
under her counter. If this shot had rolled out at 
sea, she would have gone down stern foremost. 

I proceeded the rest of my journey, about two 
hundred miles, in a palanquin, stopping at the house 
of a Mr, Carr, a civilian at Balasorc, where I stayed 
one night. There I saw a beautiful woman, the 
daughter of Mr. Rock, who was married to my old 
school-fellow Henry Parry, living with Mr. Carr. 
She was very lovely and accomplished, but her 
mother was a native woman. I regretted this for 
the sake of Parry at the time, and I still more regret 
it now, having since renewed my acquaintance with 
him, and knowing his kind and affectionate disposi- 
tion. He has since united himself with an amiable 
woman, with whom he lives very happily. 

I at length joined Colonel Harcourt, who received 
me with the greatest kindness. He had built a large 
house and kept many servants, some of whom were 
in scarlet and gold with scarlet turbans, who, bearing 
large silver sticks, formed a lane upon all occasions 
of ceremony, particularly when we proceeded every 
day to dinner. I was quite astonished, not having 
seen anything of the kind all the time I was in 
India ; but when I arrived at the Government 
House at Calcutta, I saw exactly the same thing. 
So that this was adopting Lord Wellesley's princely 
style of living. I was introduced to all his Staff, 



a= 



WITH COLONEL HARCOURT 153 

consisting of Lieutenant Ashe, his A.D.C. ; Major 
Andrews, Brigade Major ; Mr. Fortescue, a civiHan, 
a cousin of Lord Wellesley's ; Mr. Mclnnis, Persian 
interpreter ; and Major Brown of Calcutta, command- 
ing a small detachment of cavalry raised and formed 
by himself, something on the plan of our volunteers ; 
and, lastly, a Mr. Blunt of the Bengal Infantry, and 
Baron Kutzleben^ (a relation or connection of the 
present Lord Wrottesley), who was the junior A.D.C. 
This was our family, and we always had besides 
many officers of the fort and civilians to dine with us, 
together with their ladies, and we used sometimes to 
have a ball. We used to get up every morning by 
crun - fire and ride until the hour of breakfast. 
Colonel Harcourt gave me an Arab horse, but I did 
not much like him, and also a hookah and a Hookah 
Breda. Both the Colonel and myself were very 
fond of smoking ; the perfume is delicious, and very 
different from the horrid, vulgar smell of a pipe 
of common tobacco, which I abominate. I am not 
very fond of cigars, even when they are good, which 
at present is by no means common. More than 
one-half are spurious. 

I here formed an intimacy with an old Bengal 
civilian, a Mr. Melville, and I renewed this intimacy 
afterwards in England ; also with Mr. Grame, 
another civilian. I used to be very fond of riding a 

' Son of Christian, Baron of Kutzleben, Minister to the Land- 
grave of Hesse Cassel, married, 1780, Dorothy, daughter of Rev. 
Sir Richard Wrottesley, Bart., grandfather of the first Lord 
Wrottesley. 



154 



M I'KS Ml-MOIKS 



bKu'k horse ot Mr. I'ortosciu^'s. oiu> tli.it he used to 
hum the wild hog with. lie was ex.ietlv like* an 
Riiglish horse. Awd torinerly beloui^ed to Lord l.aki* 
.IS .1 charger, and was ridden bv him .it tlu* b.itlli* i>r 
l.assw.iri'v. borteseui^ w.is a good horsiMn.m .md 
very tond ot spe.iring tlu* wild hog. .md w.is quiti^ 
an adept at the sport. 1 usi\l sonicninit^s to ride 
with l\'>lonel I lareoiirl upon his elephant, which is 
not a very pleasant convey. mce ; the motion is very 
fatiguing. Uhe countrv .ibout the tort of H.ir.ibettv. 
which was t.iken b\- .iss.iult b\ CoKmu^I ll.ucourt .i 
short time before 1 c.ime. is vcmv luwiri.mt. .ibound 
ing in rich p.isturt^d.md .md ver\ pleas.im to ride 
upon on account ot its lurt. 

One day alter litVm Major Andrews .md tlu^ 
Baron propostxi to me to pl.iv chicken h.i.-.u\l. I 
consented : 1 won ot both ot tluMU .i considerabU^ sum 
ot monev. tor which 1 w.is verv sorrv. p.irticul.ulv tor 
poor Kut.lebcMi, who w.is tour or tivi* ve.irs vounger 
th.m mvselt and .i protege ot Colotu4 ll.ircourt's. 
Init 1 was not to bl.imc\ .is they both teased mc* to 
[ilay ; .md beginning to \Aa\ owW tor a mere tritle. 
which they lost, .md the\- both wishing to gel back 
th.it little, aiul 1 not wishing \.o win their nuMU>v. 
we played double or ijuits, till tlu^v lost. Kut.leben 
,^. ^;oo and Major Andrews .^,-50. I told iIumu to 
pay me whenever the\' plcMsed. aiul they gave nu* 
their bills in baiglind tor the sums, which were* iluly 
honoured on mv arrival tluM'e. 

On mv route up to Cutlack I s.iw the celebr.ited 



J(ir/,KRNA(iT J 55 

I'agofJa of ]\\'./'j(:r\\;y\\\., wliiLhf;r Uif, ilinrJoo:, an: in 
thf; haLil of lakirj'/ lori'' r>ilt{rimaL{r;s from the 
n-.rnoi.f.M. p;)rt.', of fiid);i. to pay thf:ir <']';votions to the 
i'iol ;infl t.o procure Pioly vjuXf-r. They are :,orne- 
tirnf.s two yf.ars and upwards on these journeys. 
'Vhcjc. -.ire. \)')()r, devoted rehVious enthusiasts at this 
pl^iee who undergo various self-infJieted punishments 
to [propitiate their gods, such as smearing themselves 
all over with hon^-.y and p;irtly hurying the^mselvf.s in 
thf. earth to h'-. e;itf:n up hy the flie',. <'Jthers will 
make a vow to raise their hand clenched ;i.hov': thf, 
head and n(:v<:r to hold it down again. 1 have seen 
one, of these men, his arm entirely withered away, 
nothing but the muscle and fjone appearing, and the 
n;).il') havin;^ in thf, course of yf.ars forced themselves 
throug}] his h;i.nds ;u)d ;i.pjjearing out at thr-, Lask of 
his hands, several inches through ; and they looked 
likf, the large claws of a hawk, only larger. Others 
will throw themselvfts down under the wheels of 
carriages, [particularly of an ^-.normous high one con- 
Uiining ih'j'r idol'. ; this immf:nse carriage, twenty to 
thirty i<:<-X in height, is drawn by hundreds of tlie 
natives in religious procession, and some of these 
fanatics will throw themselves under the wheels of 
this high carriage for the purpose of being crushed 
to death, while others will bury themselves alive to 
Sf;cure thf.ir salvation. 

Maving s[j':r)t u[jwards of two months with my 
frif.nd Colonel H;)rr,ourt, 1 [;ro[;osed to visit Calcutta, 
aiif] return from th;).L city by se.s. to Madras. Major 



156 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Brown, who lived in the Writers' Buildings, was about 
to proceed there, and gave me an invitation to come 
and live with him. Colonel Harcourt gave me letters 
to most of Lord Wellesley's Staff — to Captain 
Doveton, commanding his bodyguard ; to Sydenham ; 
Colonel Shawe ; Colonel Calcraft. the Town Major ; 
Captain Bradshawe, A.D.C., and Captain Armstrong, 
A.D.C. 1 arrived at Calcutta December 13. The 
approach to P'ort William from the river is truly 
beautiful, the grass sloping down from the garden 
houses to the edge of the river, and large vessels an- 
choring close to the shore. The magnificent palaces, 
and, towering above them all, the Government House, 
that from the whiteness of the chunam had the 
appearance of marble, and the freshness of the grass 
on the esplanade of an evening, where all the fashion- 
ables meet in the cool of the evening in their carriages, 
palanquins, or on horseback, struck me, unused to 
such gay sights, as perfectly delightful. Here the 
company linger, enjoying the cool of the evening, 
until dusk, when they go home, where a good dinner 
and plenty of cool claret and Madeira are waiting for 
them. Major Brown was living as a bachelor, very 
quietly and very pleasantly. He was an agent for the 
salt-works, and he had also the command of a troop 
of volunteer cavalry in the service of the Governor. 
I presented my letter to the Town Major, who 
was celebrated all over India for the excellent — nay, 
luxurious — table he kept. He perfectly understood 
good living and the art of cookery, which he super- 



,.^i-.i»i.di>»i»<<h«h>M8 



LORD WELI.ESLEY ,57 

intended himself— at least, all those things which 
required to be attended to very particularly, 
such as roasting English hams and basting them 
with champagne. The first day I called upon 
him he asked me to dine with him. I was en- 
gaged to dine with Lord Wellesley. So he said : 
' You had better not go there ; you will not get 
anything worth eating there. His cooks don't 
understand the thing.' Colonel Calcraft's dinners 
were truly recherchd. I never ate anything in India 
so good as the various delicacies of his table. I 
often used to dine with him. The first dinner I ate 
at Lord Wellesley's he placed me on his right hand, 
and the celebrated Indian diplomatist, Colonel 
Collins, was on his left. He gave me a very 
gracious and flattering reception, keeping me in 
continual conversation. The immense hall was 
brilliandy lighted. After drinking a moderate 
quantity of wine, coffee was introduced, after which 
he took my arm and walked about. At length we 
sat on a sofa, and he said : ' Captain Elers, I shall 
never give you any more formal invitations ; from 
this day a knife and fork will constandy be placed 
for you during your stay in Calcutta at my table.' 
How often have I since repented that I did not 
avail myself of his kind and flattering invitation! 
But my motive for not going was that I was living 
with Major Brown, and did not like to dine out 
unless upon some express invitation, and so leave 
the Major to dine by himself. 



15S KLERS MEMOIRS 

I remember during; my stay ai Calcutla an oKl 
officer of the Artillery died at Calcutta, a connection 
of Major Hrown's. who recjuested me to 00 {o the 
station of the Artillery at Hum Dum and .utend the 
funeral, as he was too ill to ^c) himself, since it was 
at a distance ot ten or twelve mik\s. 1 also p.iid .1 
visit to narrackpor(,\ a country residence oH the 
Governor. It consists o( a good house and a 
beautiful park, laid out quite in the English style. 
1 used to go to the dinners and parties oi Sir George 
and Lady Barlow, Sir John and Lady Anstruther. 
etc. ; besides these pleasant dinners we had several 
balls and other parties in ciMistant succession. 

One evening, just before^ dinner. I sauntered into 
a public billiard-table close to the Writers' Buildings, 
where I\Lijor Brown lived, and I saw a gentleman 
dressed in the uniform of a Captain of an Indiaman. 
lie prt^ssed me \ery much to play a game with him. 
I told him 1 had not time to play more than a game, 
as I had not dined, ani.1 as I was living with a friend 
whom I did n(n lik(> to keep waiting. He then 
beo'Cjed me if 1 was disen^al:■ed to meet him there 
after dinner to play, which 1 agreed to. He was 
there punctual to his time. When we began to play 
he proposed to pla)- for gold moluus. which 1 told 
him was a great di\d too high a stake for me. .uul 
that 1 would not play for more than one rupee a 
game. 1 played for two or three hours, and continu- 
.dly lost, and. like all foolish young players, increased 
my bets as I lost, until at length, after having lost 



A lilLMAKI) MA'IC H 



'59 



iiKjn; tliiui two liiiii(liv;(| nij>(;(:.s, I observed thai I 
thought he. ought to '^j^ivc mo. odds. 'l"o wliifli he. 
fiiadc. a sarcastic rcjjly llial lir did nol sec anylliing 
in my face to iiuliic't liiin to [dvc mc odds. I felt 
much annoyed at losiiij.^ my moiify and getting 
quizzed into the hargain, and yet something f)er- 
suaded nu; that I was the better player of the two. 
So I was resolved to persevere. I called for some 
Madeira and iced water, and, having refreshed 
myself, set to witli renewed vigour. I soon regained 
all I had lost, and had won of him three or four 
hundn-d nij>ees besides. lb: then ask(t(l me to 
give him odds, and I ret(jrted u|Mjn him the galling 
reply he had made to me. He played on, and as he 
lost increased his bets, till at length, towards morn 
ing, he was so beaten and jaded he proposed to leave 
off, and asked me to give him his rev<;nge the, next 
day, which I agreed to do. lie then gave me his 
card and address, and t(jld me h(; commanded 
the fo/m /'aimer, East Indiaman, taken up by the 
(iovernment to take the Persian Amba:,sa(lor up the 
Gulf, and that the (government was jjaying the 
owners daily an immen.s(; sum for demurrage. 1 le 
at this time owed me upwards of a thousand rupees. 
We met at about ten o'clock the next day and played 
until dinner, and again after dinner until very late;, I 
having continued to win, and he increasing his debt 
to me very considerably. We went on in this way for 
two or tliree days, when he said Ik; would try r>nce 
mf>re, and should he not be able to reduce his debt 



i6o ELERS MEMOIRS 

to me. he would leave off and come to some arraiioe- 
ment with me for the settlement of what he had lost. 
We met, and we played three or four hours, and 
eettino- still beaten, he said he had had enoufjh of it. 
At this time he had lost upwards of twenty thousand 
rupees, and to liquidate this sum he offered to pay 
not mi>re than one-third down antl the rest on 
his return from the Gulf — by bills. 1 expressed my 
dissatisfaction at this proceeding-. I told him. and 
with truth, that he had brought it all upon himself, 
as he had proposed and pressed me to play for large 
stakes, contrary to my habits ; and that I. having at 
first lost to him and requesting to receive very 
trifling odds to put us more on an equality, he had 
refused to do so ; that I had played on to give him a 
chance for several days to recover what he had lost ; 
and that having done so, instead of paying me, he 
offered me a comparatively trifling sum and bills for 
the remainder payable in Calcutta. I told him. more- 
over, that I was about to proceed to England, and that 
I might never see him again. I also added that my 
commission was a sufficient guarantee to him if he 
had won of me, and that I should have paid him any 
sum I had lost to him. In short, I told him I would 
not accept the terms. I went to my friend Colonel 
Calcraft, and told him the whole story. He said he 
would make every inquiry about him, and if he had 
the means of paying he should. In the meantime 
Captain Read sent to me a friend of his, who said, 
after paying me some compliments as to my giving 



LEAVES CALCUTTA i6i 

my opponent every chance of winning his money 
back : ' My friend is very much in debt and much 
embarrassed, and has a wife and child ; and he has 
commissioned me to say he will give you an order 
endorsed by Messrs. Alexanders of Calcutta to 
Messrs. Harington of Madras for 1,200 pagodas, 
provided you will give him an acquittance for the 
remainder.' My kind friend Calcraft made every 
inquiry, and having done so, he strongly advised 
me to accede to these terms, which I did, I heard 
after that if I had accepted his bills they would have 
all been paid, for he returned to Calcutta, got a large 
prize in the lottery, and was with his ship remark- 
ably lucky, made a great deal of money, took a fine 
house in London, set up his carriage and servants, 
went again to India in the John Palmer, and on 
returning home was wrecked off the Isle of France 
and perished ! 

One night at a ball I met Captain Felly, com- 
manding the Honourable Company's ship the United 
Kingdom. I got introduced to him, and he told me 
that if I was about to proceed to Madras he would 
give me a passage. He was a handsome, fresh- 
coloured young man about my own age, rather in- 
clined to be fat, and a brother of Major Pelly of the 
1 6th Light Dragoons. I took leave of all my 
hospitable friends at Calcutta, and hired a boat to 
convey me to Diamond Harbour, where the India- 
man lay, a distance of 100 miles. The first night 
we came to anchor off Saugor Island, an island full 

II 



1 62 ELERS MEMOIRS 

of jungle and infested with royal tigers. I heard 
them roaring all night long, and it is not unusual for 
them, when very hungry, to swim off to the boats 
and endeavour to get on board, which is not a very 
difficult thino^ to do if the boats are small, as was the 
case with mine. However, they made no attempt that 
nioht, and I ofot safe on board the United Khic'dow. 

I here found a Mrs. Maxtone, the wife of an old 
Madras civilian, and two young ladies, her daughters. 
And when we stood out to sea we fell in with a ship 
proceeding to Calcutta with Dr. Wybrow and his 
wife, the former belonging to the Regiment De 
Meuron of the Madras establishment. A boat put 
them on board of our ship, thereby saving them a 
great deal of trouble and loss of time. This poor 
lady, Mrs. Wybrow, encountered much prejudice at 
Madras in consequence of her husband, Mr. Wybrow, 
having kept a celebrated Columbine at the theatres, 
who had assumed his name, when he was quite a 
young man. I did everything in my power to show 
them attention and introduce them on my arrival at 
Madras. 

Captain Pelly lived very well on board, and kept 
an excellent table, and I thought would have married 
Caroline Maxtone, from the flirtation going on during 
our short voyage of three weeks. But it was not to 
be ; the young lady afterwards got married to a 
young civilian, well known by the name of Paddy 
M oore. 

I obtained leave to proceed on my private affairs 



OUTRAGJ^ IN TRAVANCORK 163 

to England ; part of my regiment was doing duty at 
Seringapatam, and a detachment was sent into the 
Rajah of Travancore's country, where there was 
some disturbance. Some part of the regiment pro- 
ceeded by sea, coasting along the Malabar coast. 
A melancholy occurrence took place on this occasion. 
A boat full of men, under the command of Sergeant 
^'ildsley (a capital drill, by-the-by, for the manual 
and platoon), was induced by th(t representatives of 
some of the Travancore people! to land at a village, 
saying that the regiment were landed and waiting 
for them two miles up the country. They landed, 
and were surrounded before they could make the 
smallest resistance ; their arms and knapsacks were 
taken from them, they were tied back to back and 
thrown into a deep tank, and, of course, all drowned, 
to the number of thirty. The regiment afterwards 
went to this village, where they took a dreadful 
revenge, sparing neither young nor old. 

I found that it was very uncertain when my leave 
would be received by the Commander-in-Chief of 
Madras from Lord Lake in Bengal, as his lordship 
was much engaged at the siege of Bhurtpore, where 
the natives had most obstinately beaten him off in 
three different attacks, and after all he did not 
succeed in reducing that fortress. It was reserved 
for my gallant friend Lord Combermere to effect 
that many years after. Under this uncertainty, and 
not wishing to be idle, I requested leave to do duty 
as a Captain in the 73rd Regiment, Lieutenant- 

1 1 — 2 



i64 F.l.KRS MEMOIRS 

Colonel Moneypenny cotnmaiulin^. 1 forgot lo 
mention lliat tliirlui; my slay in InMii^.il Sir ]o\\u 
and L.ulv I hcodosia Craddock arrived from I'-ng- 
land. ilie former as Commander in-Chief o( the 
Madras Army, bringing witii him Captain Rennel 
as his A.D.C. The i;ili Rei;in\ent also arrived 
at the same time, connnanded bv (.'olonc^l Siovin. 
They relieved H.M.'s 22nd in ilie duly oi' Vovi 
William. The 2 2i\d were commanded by a Colonel 
Mercer, a very tall man. Many oi' the men were 
from Essex, and were for the most part very young- 
lads. 

During my stay with Colont'l llaivourt at Cuttack, 
the famous retreat o\ the detachment under the 
Hon. Colonel Monson took place, after his en- 
deavour to form a junction with the army under 
Lord Lake. 1 his ftimous retreat, before an over- 
whelming force of the enemy, was the subject of 
conversation o( the whole army. At that time it 
did not occur to me that Colonel Monson had 
married a relation o\ mine in Calcutta some years 
before, and now a son by that marriage, W^illiam 
John Monson, is the heir-presumptive to that 
barony. 

It was a most unfortunate circumstance that Lord 
Lake, when he appeared before the fort oi' Hhurt- 
pore, which, by-the-by, was only a mud one, did not 
listen to the proposal of the Rajah. He offered to 
pay the expenses of the war with Holkar if Lord 
Lake would not persevere in his attack on this 



SIEGE OF nnURTPORE 165 

fori, as he was determined to deff.nd it to thf. last 
extremity, and at the last moment to }>low the fort, 
himself, his wives, and children up before hf. would 
allow it to he taken from him. fl'-, madf; a resist- 
ance against the virt.orif>us army of Lord Lake that 
was without example in Indian warfare. The siege 
was going r;n in its full vigour when I was at 
Calcutta, and it was nr)t taken when I landed at 
Madras more than a month after. Lord Lake 
made three distinct attacks ujofji) it, and f:ach storm- 
ing [;arty was heatf.n off with dreadful lr;ss of 
life. Upwards cjf 5,000 nu-.n were killed and 
wounded, and the loss in officers was very great. 
The people at Madras made very long faces. It 
showed what natives were capable of in the way 
of resistance. Lord Lake-, after all, was ohli'^^ed to 
give up the conquest of this, as it at first appeared 
to him, insignificant fortre.ss. H.M.'s 76th Regiment 
suffered very considerable loss in these attacks, 
particularly the flank companies. At this time 
the Congreve rockets and shrapnel shells were not 
known, which, fortunately for Lorrl Combermere, 
were used by him in the reduction of this fort yf:ars 
afterwards. 

When Sir John Craddock arrived In India he 
informed me he had brought out the decorations 
of a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath for my 
friend Major-General Wellesley, and also the 
thanks of the House of Commons for his famous 
victory of the Battle of Assaye on September 23, 



i66 Fl.l'RS MIMOIRS 

1S03. -^ sion is lokl ihai Sir ]o\\\\ i^ol Cumum.i1 
Wolloslov's sorwuu 10 briui; liis niasit.M-'s iwit to 
him, aiul pLuxxl iho Star o( i\\c Ovdcv upon it 
Ivtoro ho i;ot up in iho niorniui;. and then oniovc\l 
Sir Arthur's suq">riso. 1 know I was onc^ ot tho 
first to i^ivo hin\ jov ot liis bUishing honours. li\ 
fact. I knew ho h.ul tho I'^rJer boforo ho did. 

1 nuist hero rekue a storv tokl nie bv CoK^ncl 
CakTat't about our Kite oxcollcnt King. Wilh.un \V. 
\\ hen Caler.ift was in Kngland. on U\i\e ol 
absence, he attended niost ot" the tashivMiable 
piirties where tiie IVince ot" W.des was in the h.ibit 
of iioiui^". At that tin\e the Puchess of L^unberland 
i^ave kirge supper-jiarties. previous to which taro 
and other games of cii.uice were pkiyetl by tho 
voune" men of fisliion, and Cak^raft used to .ict 
as croupier for the Puchess. C'>ne night alter 
supper, the Puke o( Clarence, who .it th.it time 
had verv boisterous spirits, siukkMiK attacked C\il- 
craft. asking him to drink a glass of wine .ind m. iking 
use towards him oi' a most ottensix e expression. 
The ladies all stared, .ind the Puke again applied 
the ortensive appellation. A tlead silence took place 
when Calcraft rose, and, .iddressing II R. 11. said 
that whatever the ditference there might be with 
respect to their rank, he would not allow such otten- 
sive expressions to be applietl to him. .uul th.it if 
H.R. H. again niade use o\ them, consequences 
would ensue very unpleasant to both of them. The 
Prince oi' Wales, who happened to be present at 



THK DUKE OF UARKSCK j^y 

supper, got up, and in his dignified manner said : 
' Mr. Calcraft, I insist that you instantly leave the 
room. Any disrespectful language applied to my 
brother in my presence 1 consider as an insult to my- 
.self.' Poor Calcraft was obliged to leave the room. 
The next day the Prince gave a grand dinner at 
Brighton, and all his particular friends were, of 
course, invited, and among them, but for this un- 
fortunate scene, would have been Calcraft ; how- 
ever, he thought he would go and take his chance 
of an invitation. He went down, but received no 
card, and was for some time excluded from all fetes 
given by the Prince. At length the Prince forgave 
him, and it was all forgotten. 

My kind and good friend Colonel Aston was, in 
the early period of his life, on terms of very great 
intimacy with the Prince after the busine.ss with 
Chifney the jockey at Newmarket, who rode one 
of H.R.H.'s hor-ses. As for the Duke of Clarence, 
he quite disliked him ; he said he never by any 
chance or accident spoke the truth. One day the 
Duke met him in St. James's Street, and said : 
' Well, Aston, which way are you going .-*' ' First 
tell me,' said Aston, 'which way are you going.-*' 
' Oh, I am going down St. James's Street.' ' Are 
you ?' said Aston ; ' in that case I am going up. 
Good-morning to you.' I have heard that when the 
Prince of Wales was informed of the death of poor 
Aston, the intimate friend of his youth, he was much 
affected, even to the shedding of tears. 



i68 1.L1:RS MEMOIUS 

Aston was iitiluckv In luMiig" onj^aoinl in so many 
duols, and people, ot" course, concliuloi.1. alllioui;li 
niislakcnlv. that hi^ was iiiiarrclsomo. lie was bv 
no moans so. but lie w.is \ orv tond ot quizzinj^" 
odd-lookini; jx^^plo. and h.iviuL; the ad\anl.ii;x^ oi 
birth, lortunc". youth, and tiL^uiv. ho thiniL^lu. per- 
haps, that people not h.uini; thest^ adyantaj^es were 
fair game. Henei^ the scrape he i;\>t into with ,in 
Irishman one ni^lu at Ranelai^h. Aston w<is w.ilk- 
in^; in tlu* Rotunda with some nuMi oi fashion, when 
they met b it.<.'ierald. wlu\ by his .leeeni .uul nuixM-. 
untashionable aj^pearanee. caught the e\ c' oi Aston, 
and e\er\ time he met b'it/Cierald he took oil his 
hat and bowed low to him, inqtiirino- jiow he \c\\ .ill 
his triends in Ireland. Tlu^ Irishnian stared, and 
declared upon his conscience he had nc^xer set eyes 
upon the gentleman in his lile. His companions 
cleared aw.w tlu^ mist In intitrmiui^ him ih.u it w.is 
the famous lleryey Aston, who was quizzing him. 
This enraged the Irishman, and he began to be 
saucy and showed light ; and Aston gayi> him a most 
dreadful beating, and he then held him up towards 
the lights, and said ' he wouKl do.' The Irishman. 
o( coiH'se, called him out. and shot Aston through 
both cheeks, carrying .iw.iy one oi his double teeth. 
the Irishman yery ficetiously obserying that ' now 
//I' 7l'0u/(/ do.' What a narriny escajie this was for 
Aston ! 

Another duel he fought was with Mr. llmne 
Sumner. It was during the Ascc^t races. Riding 



ASTON'S FIGHTS AND l)UI«.I.S iCrj 

[>a.sl ihc liush I mi at Suiincs, Ik: s;iw Iwo bulif-.s, 
giggling aiuJ laughing, jf.aning out of ihc winflow ; 
he, happening lo have an orangf; in his hand, threw 
it at ihein, hiil missing thf.m, hit Mr. Sumner, who 
was in another p;irt of thf; room. Sumner came to 
thf- window in a gre.at rage, and said he. would givft 
five guineas to any man who would inform him who 
threw the orange*. ' Well, then, it was I who threw 
it,' said Aston. Down came .Sumner in a fury, 
puffing and blowing, and in the meantime Aston got 
off his horse, and .Sumner giving some language 
that gave offence, Aston pitched into him and beat 
him as usual. Of course a duel followed, and poor 
Sumner got hit on the hip. Aston had fought three 
other (hic.h in England, with the circumstances of 
which I am unacquainted. He once told me he had 
a battle with some impudent footmen at the Little 
Theatre in the Maymarket, who were insulting 
modest women by using indecent language as they 
were leaving the theatre. He cut onr; of his 
knuckles against the teeth of one of these mis- 
creants. It must, no rlr^uljt, have been very severe 
for him to have recollected so trivial an affair. 

On our passage down the Hay of liengal to 
Madras, Lieutenant Hentinck Doyle, of the .SV. 
Fiorenzo, a fme frigate, under the command of my 
friend Captain Henry Lambert, late in the com- 
mand of the, little IVilhelmzna, came on board oiir 
shijj, stating that they were cruising in the.se lati- 
tudes in the hope of falling in with the Psyche, 



lyo ELERS MEMOIRS 

a French frigate, commanded by a brave Frenchman, 
who had done our trade much harm by his enter- 
prise. His name, I think, was Surcouff. Captain 
Lambert fell in with him two days after, and took 
him by boarding ; Lieutenant Doyle headed the 
boarders. 



CHAPTER XI 

Court-martial — A duel for a song — Arrested by mistake — On 
duty with the 73rd Regiment — James Balfour of Whittinge- 
hame — Lord Cornwallis — Sails for England on the ffawkes- 
bury — Dodging Admiral Linois — A Brazilian convict station 
— News of Trafalgar and Austerlitz. 

During my stay at Madras I was ordered to 
attend, as a member, a general court-martial upon 
two officers of the 34th Regiment, Major Yeaman and 
Lieutenant Sands. The former was a Major by 
brevet only. I had seen these two officers tried in 
a civil court for murder before I went to Calcutta. 
They were tried before Sir Henry Gwillam at 
Madras for the murder of Captain Bull, of the 34th 
Regiment, who fell in a duel with Lieutenant Sands, 
to whom Brevet- Major Yeaman acted as second. 
After the Judge summed up the jury retired, and 
were absent one hour. They were both saved by 
the perseverance of a person of the name of Hope, 
a very rich merchant, who kept a European shop. 
This man had once been a private soldier in India, 
but had made a fortune of ^100,000. The whole 
jury wanted to bring in the prisoners guilty, but 
Hope saved them and brought the jury over to his 

[ 171 ] 



1-: n 1-KS Ml-MOIRS 

sido, and ^wIuMi thov ».\unt^ imo court, llopo. who 
was the lorom.ui, prououiuwl ' Not ouilly.' A doad 
siloiioo prevailed. It was iwilly awful. 1 novor 
shvill forgot Sir Henry Ciwillani sayiui^ : 'Not 
ouihv ! A most nuTeitul iur\ ' Prisoners. ' \\c said. 
* ha*.l \ ou been found i^uillv, \ on n^^ver would have 
seen the sun rise again. Vou ha\ i^ h.ul a most 
narrow t\scaiH' o\ \ our li\ es. 1 el it be a warning 
to you." 

Captain Hull was a retnarkablv tine young man, 
and o\ very quiet and gentlemanlike manners ; but it 
was his misfortune to be scmu on a detachment with 
the abo\e otVicers, together with otluMs. who made 
themselves so disagreeable to him that he withdn^w 
his name from this detachnuMU mess. llu^v took 
offence at this, and desire«.l him to state his reasons 
for so doing. He gave as a reason that he was 
every dviy expecting a \oung ladv trom b'ngland to 
whom he was to be m.u'ried. and he wished to live 
more economicallv in ordt>r to nu\"t l\\c expense that 
he should necc^ssarilv incur. Ihev would not rc\-eive 
this as an excuse ; the\" said it was an attront to the 
whole mess, and the\ took up dict^ to throw who 
should call this poor voung man out and who shouKl 
be the second. The lot i'cW upon l.icnilenant Sands, 
and Major Veaman ,is the second. A laeutcMiant 
Johnson o\ the ^^.jth was secvMul to [toor (.\iptain 
Bull, who was killed at the fust Uvc. It excited 
imiversal indignation throughout the whole Tresi- 
dency. They were afterwards tried by a court- 



A SJNGi^R'S CONCi^rr 173 

iiiarlial of which I was a mcnihf-r, anrl thf.y wen: 
brokf:. I also rf;co]lf:fjt a I jf.iJtc.naiil Moon: of the 
34lh l<f:;n"inf;nt, who was tri'-.d i>y th^: same court. ;ir)d 
hrokf; for soiiif; offeru.':. II': was in a dreadful state 
of hf:alth, a.j)fj only survivf.d his sentencr: a short 
time. Of this court-martial, I remember (^olonf:ls 
I'aiicourt and iJodwell of thf: 34th were members 
amongst others, the former fathf:r to Major V., late 
a jjo|>ular M.W ColorH:l l*.'s end was very iiu-.lan- 
choly. lb; was assassinated commandinj^ thf, fort 
of Vellon: shortly after I jf.ft thf, rjountry in a ruuliiiy 
of the Sf',[joys. 

'['he field officers and (.^ai>tains of His Majesty's 
regiments pjave an invitation to Sir Arthur Wellesley 
to dinner on his rf.turn to b^n^land, and Lord 
William lif,ntinck was asked to iiv:et Fiim. 'I h'tn: 
was a Cajjtain Skf.rn-At of th'; 051^1 Kej/iment, an 
Irishman, a handsome and remarkably gentlemanlike 
youn^ man, but ve,ry tenacious of his dignity, and he 
took it into his hf;ad that Lord William had nf:;^lected 
him }>y not inviting him to some of his parties. It 
happenerl that Skf.rrett had a very fine voice, but 
invariably made it a j^reat favour to sing. Lord 
William and Sir Arthur Wellesley were sitting to- 
gether, and someone suggested asking Captain 
Skerrett to sing, as to which, as usual, he made a 
grr:at fuss and refused — 'Got a cold,' etc. At last 
someone said that if Lord William were to ask him 
he could not refuse, so an unfortunate A.D.C. went 
to .Skerrett and told hiin that Lord William wished 



174 ELERS MEMOIRS 

to see him. l^p jumps the gallant Captain. 'You 
sent for me. nu lord ? What are your commands ?' 
* Pray sit down, Captain Skerrett. Sir Arthur 
Wellesley and myself have heard you sing an ex- 
cellent song, and hope you will do us the favour 
to sit down and give us one to-night.' This 
foolish young man, instead oi' doing as he was re- 
quested, considered himself highly affronted and his 
dignity compromised. So he jumped up and attacked 
the A.D.C. who brought the message to him. Lord 
William sent to the Town Major, a Major Thompson, 
and whispered to him to put Captain Skerrett under 
arrest, but not immediately, so that it might not 
interfere with the harniony o\' the company, but 
before Captain Skerrett left the room for the night, to 
prevent the possibility of his fighting a duel with the 
A.D.C. Now, I do not believe it was ever the in- 
tention of Skerrett to do this ; it was only to show his 
consequence and independence, and to mark that not 
even for the Governor would he condescend to sing. 
The evening, with this e.xception, passed off with 
great harmony, and a great deal of wine was drunk, 
and many got very tipsy; and unfortunately for me the 
Town Major got so d/i/id di-ujik that on my stepping 
into my palanquin he came up to me and put me 
under arrest, and insisted upon receiving my 
sword. In vain I assured him that my name was 
not Skerrett, that I had nothino- to do with the dis- 
agreement that had taken place between Captain S. 
and the aide-de-camp, and that he was acting under 



ARRESTED BY MISTAKE 175 

an erroneous impression. Nothing would convince 
him, and I went to my quart(*r in Portuguese 
Sf[Ufire highly indignant and, from having drunk a 
large quantity of wine, in a state of great excitement. 
Unfortunately for me, I heard the sound of dice in 
one of the officers' quarters, where two subalterns 
were playing, onf. of th(;m an officer of the 73rd, the 
<^)th(;r of the 34th. I am sure both together by their 
united (efforts could not have paid me twenty pagodas 
had 1 won it. I sat down to play with th<:m, and 
foolishly lost a good deal, 'lliis was entirely owing 
to my excited feelings from wine, but more par- 
ticularly from the rage I was in by being [)ut under 
arrest by mistake ; and all this from the folly and 
conceit of Ca[)tain Skerrett in refusing to sing when 
asked by Lord William Bentinck. 

It created much merriment at my expense with 
Lord William, Sir Arthur Wellesley, and others, 
who were amused at the stu[)id drunken mistake 
of the Town Major, 'rhompsr)ri. / was the only 
sufferer, my usual good fortune in this busine.ss 
having deserted me. I did duty with the 73rd 
Regiment, and was an honorary membf:r of their 
mess. With the exception of somrt of the senior 
officers, they wen! by no means a pleasant set of 
people to be associated with. They were on very 
bad terms with each other. Colonel Moneypenny 
was a gentlemanlike man, and his Adjutant, 
Chamberlain, I liked ; I also liked Captains Morris 
and Gordon, and a few others, but there appeared 



176 ELERS MEMOIRS 

to be no harmony among themselves. Taken indi- 
vidually, there was nothing exceptionable against 
any of them, but I never was happy amongst them, 
and I was almost glad that I got ill and was 
prevented from messing with them, or doing any 
more duty with them, during the last two or three 
months I was in India ; for 1 was detained waiting 
for the opportunity of getting off for many months, 
and did not go until September 10. 

I got a good quarter in the fort fronting the sea, 
and opposite Colonel Trapand's, of the Company's 
Engineers. This Colonel Trapand was quite a 
character. He was a remarkably small man, with 
a large face and a long nose, inclining to the 
Roman. He was to a certain degree clever and 
accomplished, quite a gentleman, by origin of an old 
French family, and he was very fond of drawing in 
water-colours, but in such a coarse way that his 
trees and water looked very like scene-painting. 
He was a great boaster — there was no ill-nature 
about him — to a certain degree very pompous, but 
he was very harmless and inoffensive. To me he 
was ever a source of great entertainment, and I was 
the last month or two very often with him, both at 
breakfast, tiffin, and dinner. In the cool of the 
evening I used to ride out with him in his post- 
chaise. There lived with him a good-natured 
Lieutenant of Engineers named Garrard ; he very 
unexpectedly went to England, and in the same 
ship that I did. 



BALFOUR OF WHITTINGEHAME 177 

There was living at Madras at this time a civilian 
named James Balfour. He had been suspended 
the Service for taking a horse as a present from 
some of the natives. He got restored, and as I had 
parted with all my horses, he was so kind as to lend 
me one to ride, and I fed him. He was a great, 
tall, rough brute to ride, but he was better than 
none. The Honourable Basil Cochrane had for 
many years held the contract for supplying the 
Navy with meat, provisions, etc., and made a very 
handsome fortune; but he kept open house for every 
officer in the Navy, from the poor mid to the Post- 
Captain. This must have reduced his means of 
saving a very large fortune, which he might other- 
wise have done. My friend James Balfour, soon 
after I left India, got Cochrane's situation. He 
only held it a very few years, and he had made 
^300,000, and left a Scotchman by the name of 
MacConnachy to act for him at an allowance of 
^6,000 per annum. Balfour made this enormous 
fortune in about four years, as he told me. He 
bought a house in Grosvenor Square, became an 
M.P., and married a daughter of the Earl of 
Lauderdale.^ He did not, like Cochrane, keep 
open house, or, if he did, it was only the doors and 
windows. 

About a month before I left India the old veteran 

^ James Balfour of Whittingehame, N.B., married Lady Eleanor 
Maitland, daughter of James, eighth Earl of Lauderdale; died 
1845. 

12 



178 ELERS MEMOIRS 

the Marquess CornwalHs^ arrived on board the 
Medtisa frigate, under Sir John Gore. They had 
a remarkably quick passage out. The field officers 
and Captains got up a congratulatory address upon 
his return to India, the scene of his former active 
services as Governor and Commander, to which he 
returned a very suitable reply, adding that nothing 
could have induced him, at his advanced period of 
life, to have returned to India but the commands 
of his Sovereign and the wishes of the Court of 
Directors. He looked very healthy, with a fine 
florid complexion and a disagreeable cast in one of 
his eyes. He did not stay long at Madras, but 
proceeded to Bengal, where he died somewhere up 
the country soon after, I do not think he lived 
more than six weeks altogether after his arrival. 

During the last month I was at Madras some of 
the reofiments of Il.M.'s Service were ordered to 
hold themselves in readiness to proceed to Europe. 
All these regiments had served in India upwards of 
twenty years — viz., the 73rd, 74th, and 76th ; the 
two former came home at the same time that I did. 
I saw several regiments land at Madras about this 
time from England — viz., the 53rd, 59th, 66th, 67th, 
and 69th. Some of these went on to Bengal, but 
the 69th relieved the 73rd at Madras. My friend 
Captain Crawford at this time arrived at Madras, 
and he also had obtained leave to return to Europe. 

The last fortnight I spent in India was with a 
^ Charles, first Marquess Cornwallis, died 1S05 



SAILS FOR ENGLAND 179 

worthy old surgeon whom I knew at Trichinopoh, 
who was at this time a member of the Medical 
Board, and as I had sold off everything I had, such 
as furniture, etc., he asked me to come and live 
with him at his garden-house, a mile or two from 
the fort. And there I remained with him, only 
going into the fort by way of passing the time until 
the hour of dinner. Captain Crawford and myself 
made a bargain with Captain Timbrell, of the 
Hawkesbury, for a passage, and we got a large 
cabin between us, where we slung our cots. It 
was the last aft on the starboard side. This cabin 
cost us something more than ^200 each, and part 
of the 74th Regiment's poor, worn-out old men 
came on board with us ; also the colours of the 
regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Swinton, com- 
manding officer. The officers were Captains Mein, 
Boswell Campbell ; Lieutenant White, and several 
others whose names I cannot recollect ; Captain 
Monteith, cavalry ; Garrard, Engineers ; Ritso, 
late Captain H.M.'s Service; Ensigns Garrard and 
Roebuck, Engineers ; Garrow, Civil Service ; Dr. 
Ainsley. We had also General and Mrs. Cunning- 
ham, Company's Service (the old General was 
absolutely dying when he came on board, but he 
lived for years after) ; two squalling brats of boys, 
a constant torment to their poor mother, who was 
quite worn-out nursing them and the poor old man, 
her husband, who was about forty years older than 
herself; a Mrs. Ure, the wife of a Dr. lire, of 

12 — 2 



i8o ELERS MEMOIRS 

Hyderabad, who had two fine children of three and 
four years old under her charge, the children of 
Colonel Kirkpatrick, of Hyderabad, by a Princess, 
to whom report said he was married. Her High- 
ness would not part with her children until ^ 10,000 
had been settled upon each of them. They were a 
boy and a girl, and they had a faithful old black man, 
who was very fond of them, to attend upon them. 
Mrs. Ure had an infant of only a few months old, 
nursed by a young native woman, inimensely fat, 
and she had also a young European woman as her 
maid. The children of Kirkpatrick were consigned 
to their uncle, Colonel Kirkpatrick, of Nottingham 
Place. 

It was my fortune to have this black and white 
party consigned to my care on landing in England. 
Having taken leave of my good old friend Dr. 
Richardson, at whose house I had been living, and 
having given away my favourite little dog Jack to 
the youngest Miss Maxtone, I bade adieu to all my 
Madras friends, and went on board the Haivkcsbury, 
East Indiaman, accompanied by my faithful black 
servant Francis, who there, poor fellow ! took leave 
of me. We did not sail till the ne.Kt morning. 
It will be, perhaps, scarcely believed that I, who 
had been so miserable and pining to get home the 
first three years of my being in the country (and no 
poor Swiss ever felt more the absence from his 
native country than I did during those three years), 
was at the time I found the shores of Madras fast 



ADMIRAI. LINOIS i8i 

receding from my view affected even to tears. I 
felt as if I was leaving my only home and the only 
friends I had. I could scarce believe it possible 
that I could have such feelings until the actual 
moment arrived of our sailing. 

Captain Timbrell was an excellent Captain — none 
could be better. The chief mate, Mr. Johnstone, 
was rather consequential, and the second mate, 
Mr. Cowles, was a good-natured, honest fellow. 
We were under the convoy of Captain Draper, of 
the Weymouth frigate, a very troublesome gentle- 
man, fond of bullying the poor skippers under his 
command. We had the Baring, Indiaman, and the 
Montrose, under Captain Patterson, a young man. 
Nothing of consequence occurred till we got off the 
Cape, when we buried poor Lieutenant White of 
the 74th ; and as we experienced cold weather oft 
the Cape, the poor invalids of the 74th died daily. 
We spoke an American off the Cape, who told us 
he had spoken Admiral Linois and his squadron 
only a few days before, and that they were looking 
out for us. We bore down to the southward, and 
one night soon after the Montrose and ourselves 
agreed to cut and run, and not venture to go to 
St. Helena, for fear of meeting with Linois. We 
bore down to the Island of Fernand de Noronha, on 
the Brazil Coast, within three degrees of the equator. 
It is the Botany Bay of Portugal, and inhabited by 
1,500 convicts, with a small military force. Not 
one woman on the island, and the most dreadful 



iS2 ELERS MEMOIRS 

crimes committed. 1 did lun land there, but visited 
a very small island about three niiles oiT, the only 
man upon which is a poor wretch banished there 
tor some horrible crime — perhaps murder -who 
receives from the larger island a week, or ton days' 
provisions at a time. I went on this island and 
stretched my legs lor about ten minutes one 
evening. 

On returnino- on board, there was a trreat swell, 
and our Indiaman. as the boat went under her stern, 
looked an enormous height out of the water. I had 
some ditticulty in getting on board again, li requires 
great activity to catch the e.xact moment when the 
wave lifts you up near the gunwale, aiul in .i nunnent 
you sink a dozen feet at least ; and if it is difficult 
for a man with /zco hands, what a difficulty it is for 
him who has but (V/i\ which was the case with poor 
Captain Boswell Campbell, who lost his arm in 
action, and was still suffering exquisite pain from 
some oi' the nerves that had been amputated ! He 
would cry out in agony in walking the deck if anyone 
came near him on the side on which he had lost his 
arm, and particularly when we arrived ofi" the Cape 
during the cold weather. This bra\e ofticer, who 
lost his arm at Assaye, had the misfortune to fall 
out o[' his berth two or three days before we arrived 
in England. He never came out oi' his cabin after- 
wards, and died at the moment when the man on 
the look-out hailed 'Land!' It was a most melan- 
choly sight to see the poor soldiers, three and four 



TRAFALGAR 183 

in the course of iha week, and also three or four 
officers of the 74th, thrown overboard in thf;ir cots 
with a 24-pound shot placed at their feet, and the 
splash which followed as they sank into the deep. 
I'he men were sewn ujj in their hammocks, and 
made a similar exit. 

During the latter part of our voyage we ex- 
perienced v('ry bad weather, and were obliged to 
have the dead lights u]>, and were scarcely able to 
sit at dinner. We fell in with vast quantities of sea- 
weed from the Gulf of Florida, and had such adverse 
winds that it was thought at one time we should 
have been obliged to go to the West Indies. We 
fell in with a shi[; from FLngland that sent us some 
papers containing th(; interesting intelligence, and 
at the .same time melancholy news, of the Battle 
(jf Trafalgar, and simultaneously that of the great 
victory of Bonaparte at Austerlitz. My dear brother 
luiward, your brave father, at Trafalgar, was third 
Lieutenant of the Orion, 74, under Captain (now 
Admiral) Sir Edward Codrington. 1 think he com- 
manded on the main-deck, and towards the latter 
jjart of the action a 74 lay helpless with her bow- 
sprit across the broadside of the Orion. The men 
were about to pour a broadside into her from the 
guns of this deck, thinking she was a Frenchman, 
when my brother sang out that it was one of our 
own ships. 

My dear brother had fought a very gallant action 
about a year before in the Arrow, of 18 guns, 



i84 ELERS MEMOIRS 

against two frigates somewhere between Lisbon 
and Gibraltar. The Arrow was protecting a very 
large convoy. She was sunk alongside the frigates, 
and her officers and crew were sent prisoners to 
Alexandria. My brother was a prisoner six months, 
when he came home in a cartel and was appointed 
to the Orion a short time before Lord Nelson's last 
and celebrated action. He was unfortunately only 
Second- Lieu tenant of the Arroiu, or he would have 
been promoted, but Lloyd's voted him a sword. 
When the Arroiv went down, he swam with his 
writing-desk, the only thing he saved, on board the 
Frenchman ; and I heard him say that just before 
the action, seeing he must be taken, he went to his 
cabin and rigged himself out in his best clothes. 
There was a clergyman's wife on board going to join 
her husband, a Mrs. Miller, whom he was very 
kind and attentive to in her distress. My brother 
was also in Lord St. Vincent's action, February 14, 
1797, as a mid on board the Prince George. He 
had also seen much boat service. 



CHAPTER XII 

Bribing the Customs — 'Drinking gold' — An eccentric sportsman — 
Sport in Yorkshire— The London season — Mrs. Colston's at 
Ampthill — Charles Fox at Woburn — Cheltenham — Discovery 
of a Titian — An awkward rejoinder — The Duke of York — 
Dinner to Lord Wellesley. 

Oh, what a delightful sight it was, the view of the 
white cliffs of dear England ! It was nearly ten long 
years since I last saw them. I was then nineteen 
years of age ; I was now, in February, within a few 
months of twenty-nine, the most interesting period 
of my life spent broiling in an unhealthy climate. 
Already at this early age my hair had begun to 
turn gray, my skin had grown the colour between 
an orange and a lemon, and my forehead had 
assumed wrinkles. But my health was tolerably 
good, and my spirits as buoyant as when I was 
nineteen. And when I recollected the officers and 
men of my own regiment whom I had followed to 
their graves, I could not help thinking of the mercy 
of Providence that had protected me through so 
many dangers both by sea and land, and allowed me 
once more to put my foot on my beloved country. 
None can possibly appreciate the love of their 

[ 185 ] 



1 86 ELERS MEMOIRS 

native land but those that have been long separated 
from it. How often on the shores of India, par- 
ticularly at night or in the decline of day, have I 
cast my longing eyes to the horizon, watching the 
vessels that were sailing for dear old England ! And 
now once more to have arrived safe and sound, I 
felt truly grateful to my Creator. 

Immediately we saw the land, my friend Captain 
Crawford and Mr. Garrow availed themselves of 
some boat that stood out to us, and for some twenty 
guineas got put on shore, with a trunk each, some- 
where in Cornwall. Others landed nearer Ports- 
mouth. I was determined to take it very coolly, and 
resolved not to land till I arrived quietly at Ports- 
mouth. On the ship anchoring some four or five 
miles from Portsmouth, poor Mrs. Ure, who had her 
infant and the care of Colonel Kirkpatrick's children, 
together with a black servant, a black nurse, and an 
English maidservant, felt herself in a very helpless 
and unprotected state ; she had, she said, property 
in shawls, jewels, and other valuables to the amount 
of upwards of ^2,000 (and the Custom House 
officers were expected on board every minute), and 
all this property was liable to be seized. We were 
only allowed to take one trunk each on shore. She 
began to cry and bewail herself, so I told her to be 
comforted, that I would not leave her till I saw her 
safe in London with her friends, and would save all 
her property if I possibly could, but she must place 
the whole of it, with the key, under my care. I 



BRIBING THE CUSTOMS 187 

had but twenty guineas in my purse to take me to 
London, and I asked her if she had sufficient to pay 
her expenses to London, for that I should want a 
good deal to bribe the Custom House officers so as 
to get her trunk passed. She told me she had plenty 
of money, and she begged me to arrange everything 
for her. I told her to put everything of value that 
she had in one large trunk with some changes of 
linen, etc. I then hired a large boat and got my 
black and white party safe on board with about three 
trunks altogether. When the boat grounded on the 
beach at Portsmouth, I leaped on shore. The Custom 
House officers seized our trunks and wheeled them 
off to the Custom House. Some of the officers, 
seeing the poor fat black nurse, handled her very 
roughly, thinking from her large size that she had 
shawls concealed about her person. She, poor crea- 
ture, not speaking a word of English and not under- 
standing their motives, got dreadfully alarmed. I 
had enough to do to calm her fears and take care of 
my party. 

I went to the first hotel that presented itself, 
which happened to be the Blue Posts. After dis- 
posing them all in safety, I ran off to the Custom 
House and saw the officers, who were examining 
some gentleman's trunk. He offered them one 
guinea to pass it. They were quite indignant at 
this ; it was as much as their place was worth. At 
last I got hold of one of the officers, and told him 
my wife was very ill, and that there were things in 



i88 ELERS MEMOIRS 

our two trunks that it was necessary that she could 
get at directly, and that I wanted to have the trunks 
passed immediately. I took hold of his hand, and, 
without saying a word or making any further ob- 
servation, slipped twenty guineas into it. He imme- 
diately ordered the doors to be closed, so that there 
was only a little light left, asked me for the keys, 
undid the trunks, looked at them directly, and 
declared (which was true enough) that he could nol 
see a single contraband article. He procured a 
truck and a man to wheel them to the hotel, took 
off his hat, and wished me good-morning. Mrs. 
Ure was delighted that I had saved her property, 
which I should certainly have lost if I had, like the 
gentleman, mentioiied a paltry bribe of two or three 
guineas. 

We slept at the Blue Posts that night, and the 
next morning, after eating a capital breakfast, we 
ordered two post-chaises and drove off in high spirits 
towards London, We slept at Guildford, and the 
next evening, at five o'clock, I delivered my charge 
over to Colonel Kirkpatrick in Nottingham Place. 
I remember the post-boy asking me where he should 
drive me to, and I really felt puzzled. I at first 
thought of going to Ibbettson's Hotel, but recol- 
lecting that I used sometimes when I was very 
young to dine at the New Hummums at Covent 
Garden, I ordered him to drive there. 

The first thing I did the next day was to go to 
my kind old friend Mr. Hutchinson. I left him 



'DRINKING GOLD' 189 

a hale, cheerful old man of seventy-two, drinking 
his wine and enjoying his joke even at that age. I 
found him in bed, so changed, a fine hectic colour in 
his face, a long gray beard, and most of his teeth 
gone, attended by a nurse. He, however, knew me, 
asked me to come and take up my quarters at his 
house, but looked grave and serious. I told him I 
was living at the New Hummums. I thanked him 
for his kindness, and told him I would come, as I 
used to do in my young days, to breakfast and dine, 
and would sleep at my hotel. For I thought my 
hours would not exactly suit a private family. And 
I had been, as I thought, too long out of old 
England, and was determined to have my fling. 
My friend Mr. Hutchinson, since I left England, 
had succeeded, by the death of his eldest son in the 
East Indies, to a large fortune, about ^100,000, and 
had a large house in Bloomsbury Square. His two 
younger daughters were married, and his eldest was 
still single, and took care of her old father. 

I shall never forget the old gentleman's as- 
tonishment the first day I dined there. A bottle 
of Madeira was standing next to me at dinner, 
and I mechanically seized and poured about half a 
tumbler of it, according to custom, into water, as 
we all do in India. Oh, the look of astonishment 
he gave ! ' Do you know, young gentleman, what 
you are doing ? Why, you might as well drink so 
much^o/d /' It was said exactly in the style of old 
Munden. 



I90 ELERS MEMOIRS 

One of the first persons I endeavoured to find out 
on my arrival in London was the Honourable Mrs. 
Aston. When her poor husband was lying dead I 
cut off a lock of his hair, had it placed in an elegant 
locket, and sent it to her. She had expressed her 
thanks to me by letter. I wrote to her sister, the 
Marchioness of Hertford, for her address. Lady H. 
wrote me a polite letter, saying that her sister 
was living in great retirement with her children 
at Temple Newsam. Yorkshire. I wrote to Mrs. 
Aston, and she sent me back a very kind letter.^ 
tellinof me how much she wished to see me and 
introduce me to her children. 

I went down to Mrs. Tennant, and the first words 
she said were : ' Well, George, what has brought 
you home ?' just as if I had left her the week before. 
I told her, having been absent ten years and buried 
my regiment twice over, I thought it was time to 
come. ' Well,' says she, ' you must not stay in this 
house one instant. I have a young lady dangerously 
ill with an infectious fever, and I expect her to die 
every hour.' Soon after this I happened to call on 
a cousin of ours, a starched old maid, a Miss Jellicoe,-^ 
and of all the days in the week it was of a Sunday, 
in the middle of Church service. It was very 
thoucrhtless and inconsiderate, I orant. but I heard 
she made some rude and unkind speech on the occa- 
sion, and I never called or saw her again ; however, 

^ See p. :!75. — Ed. 

- Either Hannah or Sarah, daughter of William Jellicoe, by 
Sarah Debonnaire. aunt of the writer. 



COLONEL THORNTON 191 

on her death, not many years since, I offered to pay 
her the respect of attending- her funeral. 

Soon after my arrival in England I fell into 
the company of the celebrated sportsman, Colonel 
Thornton, of Yorkshire. He was at this time 
labouring under great unpopularity from several 
causes, of which I was then ignorant. I only had 
heard of him through the Sporting Magazine, which 
I remember reading from a boy. But he had lost 
himself by many shabby tricks, and was, at the time 
I got acquainted with him, a good deal cut. He 
was, however, a man possessed of great wit, a first- 
rate sportsman, of unbounded hospitality and great 
conviviality, and had kept the first company, from 
the Prince of Wales downwards. He was hated 
by Mrs. Tennant, and she was angry with me for 
keeping company with him. At this time he had 
just sold his seat, Thornville Royal, which he 
bought of the Duke of York, to Lord Stourton 
for, I heard, ^^300,000. 

He was particularly civil to me, and used to send 
his grooms and horses for me to ride in the park ; 
and he asked me to go down with him into York- 
shire to a country seat of his called Falconer's Hall, 
about forty miles beyond York and on the Wolds. 
I set off in his carriage with a third person, an 
officer who had served with him in the York Militia 
when he commanded the regiment. We slept at 
the Fountain at Huntingdon, and I went into the 
inn-yard there, which I well remembered, having. 



192 ELERS MEMOIRS 

about fifteen years before, when I was a boy, killed 
a sparrow there with a stone. I inquired after a fox 
that used to be kept chained in the yard, but poor 
Reynard was long since dead. 

The ne.xt night we slept at Doncaster, and the 
third we got to Falconer's Hall. It was a pretty 
box, consisting of a hall, a circular dining and 
drawing room, a bedroom opening into a pretty 
conservatory, where you could lie and see roses 
blossoming and the snow outside deep on the Wolds 
at the same time. It was the middle of March and 
bitterly cold, but we had magnificent fires, the finest 
hare soup I ever tasted, and dinners tolerably good, 
for the Colonel was never famous for dinners. He 
ate little himself; all he thought of was giving his 
friends lots of wine. He was a very extraordinary 
man ; he could sit up drinking night after night and 
sleep in his chair instead oi going to bed, and then 
get on his horse and hunt all day. At this time he 
was over sixty, and I, who was only twenty-eight, 
could hardly stand this. 

He had no less than sixty couple of beagles, and 
one ciay we took the whole pack out together. As 
they used to gallop down the hills, their white and 
yellow backs all close together, they looked like 
a sheet of water. I rode his best horses, and one 
day after dinner askeci him what he would take for 
a high-bred mare I had ridden in the morning ; she 
was bred by the celebrated Mr. O'Kelly, of Canon's, 
the owner oi the still more celebrated racehorse 



A FAMOUS MARE 193 

Eclipse, and this mare was of his blood and sprung 
from him. Sh(' was like him, having white on one 
of her hind-legs, a bright chestnut, and dark spots 
on her hind-quarters, and a head small enough to go 
into a quart pot. She had run and won some races 
at York, ridden by the famous Buckle, and was so 
gentle that a lady riding her and being thrown by 
the saddle turning, she stood still till she remounted. 
She had run a four-mile heat in eight minutes. In 
India my Arab horse Aboukir was near three 
minutes fifteen seconds galloping two miles. I gave 
him 140 guineas for this mare, and I rode her up to 
London in six days, forty miles beyond York with- 
out one trip, which was wonderful. 

I visited Scarborough, Harrogate, and Bridlington, 
and arrived in London about the latter end of April. 
I went to the trial of Lord Melville in Westminster 
Hall, visited all the theatres, never missed the opera, 
and went on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Lambert near 
Epsom at a pretty village called Woodmanstone 
during the race week. I shall never forget the 
beauties of this spring, the freshness and sweetness 
of the sweetbriar hedges round Woodmanstone, the 
lovely roses and the notes of the nightingale in the 
evening, and the society of Mrs. Lambert and of her 
lovely daughter, poor Jane Lambert, very lately 
dead. Mrs. L. was formerly Miss N. Hutchinson, 
who packed up and arranged all my trunks when I 
left England. 

During the height of the London season my two 

13 



194 ELERS MEMOIRS 

cousins, Louisa Bell and the Honourable Mrs. 
George Browne,^ both widows, arrived in London. 
I saw them at a hotel. I promised Mrs. Browne 
that I would come down and pay a visit to her and 
my aunt, who had a house at Ampthill, Bedfordshire, 
which pleased her much. Sir William Curtis,^ a 
distant relation of Mrs. Tennant, and a very old 
friend, asked me to come and see him at Cullard's 
Grove. He kept a capital table, and had a large 
cellar of fine and choice wines, and after dinner one 
day we went down into his cellar and tasted a lot of 
different vintages of port and claret. The present 
Emperor of Russia, Nicholas, has often tasted the 
wine out of these butts, pipes, and hogsheads during 
his stay at Sir William Curtis's, who showed him 
much attention during his stay in England. Sir 
William was very anxious I should be presented 
at Court by a cousin of Mrs. Tennant's, Lord 
Henniker,^ and offered to introduce me to him. 
Sir William's eldest son* at this time was just 

^ Mary, daughter of Rev. Alexander Colston, of Filkins Hall. 
Married, 1801, Hon. George Browne, third son of John, first Lord 
Kilmaine. 

2 Mrs. Tennant's great-grandfather, Timothy Tennant, had a 
daughter, Mary, married to Sir William Curtis, Bart., Lord Mayor 
of London. 

^ Mrs. Tennant's great-great-grandfather, Rev. Richard Tennant, 
who died in 1682, had a daughter, Elizabeth, married to John 
Major, ancestor of Lord Henniker. 

* William, son and heir of Sir William Curtis. Married, 1803, 
Mary Anne, only child of George Lear, of Leytonstone, County 
Essex. 



THE LONDON SEASON 195 

married to a lovely woman with a large fortune and 
still larger expectations, which were not fulfilled. 
He lived at that time in Bedford Square, but has 
now lived for many years in Portland Place, in one 
of the largest houses in the street, formerly Mrs. 
Broadhead's. Mr. Curtis gave concerts every 
Wednesday, and patronized the professionals for 
years until they gave themselves so many airs he 
was obliged to give them up. I remember meeting 
at some parties two pretty girls — one a blonde, a 
Miss Orme, the other a brunette, a Miss Cockerell, 
a daughter of Sir Charles. I remember paying a 
morning visit at their villa on the Harrow Road. 
At some of these parties I met three very fine 
women, sisters of the name of Neville. They lived 
in St. James's Street. My cousin Mary Browne 
introduced me to the two ladies Fitzpatrick,^ 
daughters of Lord Ossory. Their town house was 
in Grosvenor Place, and they lived when in the 
country close to my aunt and cousin at Ampthill 
Park, and were good neighbours. 

I at last left London in June, and rode down 
to Mrs. Colston's at Ampthill. They had a large, 
old-fashioned red-brick house with gardens and 
a paddock, and as it was situated in the town of 
Ampthill it was a great acquisition. I here saw 
grazing the same carriage-horses I remembered as 
almost colts twelve years before. A Mr. and Mrs. 

^ Lady Anne and Lady Gertrude Fitzpatrick, daughters of 
John, second Earl of Ossory. Died unmarried. 

13—2 



196 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Smith and daughters lived at Aspley, about seven 
miles oft". He was a clergyman, and had the living. 
They were both of an excellent old family, and con- 
nected with some old families in the county, particu- 
larly the Butlers and the Charnocks. 1 used to ride 
over and dine there sometimes. I also wont to the 
Woburn sheep-shearing, and that year the little 
Marquess of Tavistock presided in the room of the 
Duke. I well recollect Francis, the late Duke, an 
uncommonly handsome man, who lost his life by 
what is termed strangulated hernia. A very simple 
remedy in surger)-, which could have been applied 
by any country doctor, would have saved his life. 
They sent to London, and the delay proved fatal. 
It was he. with other men of rank in the W hig in- 
terest, who first cut off their tails or queues, and left 
oft' hair-powder, with a heavy penalty if they ever 
resumed them. I think Charles Fox was of the 
party and Colonel Montgomery, who was afterwards 
shot in a duel by Captain Macnamara. 

While I remained at Ampthill I took a quack 
medicine to remove a thickness in the skin in the 
palms of the hands, very common to people who 
have lived long in warm climates, and which arises 
from impurity of the blood. The medicine I took 
was of a pink colour and called Spilbury's drops. It 
was of no service, but put me in a constant fever, as 
I believe the chief ingredient consisted of corrosive 
sublimate. 

My aunt and cousin did everything they could to 



CHELTENHAM 197 

amuse me, but 1 found Ampthill very dull, and I 

longed to be again in the great world, as I had only 

twelve months' leave of absence, which would expire 

in September, and it was now the latter end of June, 

and nearly five months of that time was spent in the 

voyage. So I bade adieu to aunt and cousin, and 

returned to town once more. After spending another 

six weeks in London, I set off for Cheltenham, and 

rode my mare d(jwn in two days. I put up at the 

Plough, and afterwards went to board at the Miss 

Smiths in the High Street. This was the best 

house in the town, where I think I paid three 

guineas per week without wine or servants. I used 

to go and drink the waters every morning, ride out 

after breakfast with gay parties, and in the evening 

went to private parties, balls, and concerts. I got 

rather intimate with the Countess of Winterton,^ 

having known her daughter. Lady Elizabeth 

Richardson, in India. One night at the rooms I 

was dancing with a lady — I cannot recollect who it 

was, but it was some friend of Lady Elizabeth's. 

The Honourable Miss Duncan, who certainly had 

the precedence of my partner in point of rank, 

rather rudely pushed her down one couple. This 

so enraged my fair partner that she implored Lady 

Elizabeth to dance with me so that she (my partner) 

might be gratified by Lady Elizabeth, as the daughter 

of an Earl, taking precedence of Miss Duncan, the 

' Elizabeth, daughter of John Armstrong, of Godalming. Married, 
1778, Edward, first I-Larl of Winterton, as his second wife. 



I used tv> mtf«<^ tKo jM>Mty Mr^ R.^U' Miss 
l^rtw^t ihAi vi^As; her Aum. Mrs. Hii^^^inj^: thr 
HoiKHirAWe Mr^ \tuUins anvi her h,\nvl.^v\\e b\u 
\>M>^ mA:^n\Une s^isier, l^vK CKMxhiwk : a Miss 
Ol^rkMK Mrs. lawvl Ami her liuuihiers : LavU 
HAnrtett GiU; Sir Henrx- Smith: l.vvrvi \VijiU>wn.^ 
etv\x »nvi xve vise\l tv> make up OArvl-jwrties Ami liiile 
supi^ers AmvM\g vHirselves. I ^wssevi t\w tWvMVihs at 
Ohe)trnK.\m. when I \v;vie tv> n\y vvusin. A1e\AT>vier 
Cv>lstv>n, th,u I \>\H»ld v.vn\o And jwy hin\ a visit At 
Filkins HaII, the x^^rv hous^^ wherr I sj>ent two 
mivisummer hvMivU)-^ when 1 was tv^urteen Anvi t^fteei^ 
\^^^^s olvi. Filkit\s is aKhu twenty miles lV\^n\ 
CheltenhAm, AUvi sv> v^ne vUy. just Ivtv^re dinner, 
I rvxio int\> the vxld cvHirtyArvi And was ushen\l intx> 
the wt'lUknc^wn viining-rvx^nx. I s,uv lots of Kn*ely 
cvxisins tVvMW tV»urtwn downwAixis. Vhe dining 
room WAS nv^t AUert\i. b\u aH the other jxrincijwl 
rvxxms wn^re hUed with jwinting^ of the v>Ki ItAliAu 
mAstrrSv 

Mrs. Cv>lsion was a clextM. >\c.. t\iuOs\tevi wvMUAn, 
And v\ne dAy her Attention was ^mrAot^xi b\ a jxv^r 

John Ro>lK v>< the Or*»^x?. C<HJmy Smtx-^y 

* 'lo»v! \V^tv»wi\' wvHiKi Iv U«milKv\ V1c*uii\<» x»hv'» siyk\l 
hinvss^^.f KaH vV \V^jitv>wt>. Ui; hb oUnw t\> ih<* tuk^ was i\v"< aIK»(vv\1 
by the UvHi^e 04f l.ocvU. His vwly ohvKi» HAmd jAne lA«rA. 
«v<rn<\i» »;iH. ^ViUiAm OyU OAjHAin ind Uie Giwnisx aikI dnxi 



^iSDfSa A JT/rAN ty^j 

tt\(\ rnnri knc/jling ou ;< i/uvjz ^/f canv?i^ with fin fAV- 
j/?iJDting f/n ft Th'r m^.n wha j/j/;king ^^Jt th^; graiw 
\t*^wi'^,n t\w, \**'}A)\*'A \n iivt c/^jrty^d, arui wit^ krvM- 
ifij< <m thw incXarn Uf *nv*i hh nmn!ih, Sh^ I/y>k^ 
at tb/r \f\ciiir*i ; h waa a lovdy V^mu* ''/f th#; ^hfffA 
of I'tthiT). 'Wh*:r('. (\\(] y(fn pick up thtJi o\d j/iVyt 
of rjanva'v .-^ Th': jxy/r rnnn vtid : * In th/; rfyfm% 
ov#rr th^ %tniAft%, 7'h/:re ar#i pU^nty nv/r#r th^^re, 
roll^'/l up/ Mr», OAnUm U/%t no tinv; in examining 
th'; r^y^m, and th^m found }>^w#^m fifty and »ixty 
fine oJl'f;aif,tjnj^», chi'-ily of th", IvtViHn school, Sh'; 
j/r/t a man from Jy/ndon, who ofUtn-A h':r 2a'>» guin^ra* 
for th': two fir<>t fi'; ch'^m/L She g«^H th/rm all df^nfA 
and frumcA, and it ma/Je th': hfAj^^t \(><M »pl/mdid. 

J h;i/l the cMYumiy Ut vmi a certain lime^tre^ in 
the \/>i/\t\(KM Uihind the hou%*',. It v/a'v one among 
hundrf'/h <A ffih*tr% that (ortrv-A an avmue to the 
hoiJH^: from a j>ajr of large whit/: gat/:«i at the Yx/tU/m 
of th<; padd'^x;k. When I was a Jx>y I ha/I carvf:d 
my initial G. K., and underneath S. <'^. I fr/und 
the tr^:/:, and the initials w^rre plain U^^ U: '/./^n, but 
overgrown with mo»<i. I turned silently away. The 
lovely girl at the time I cut her initials wan blrx^ming 
anrj tripping on the turf with all the elasticity of 
yo(jth ari^l freshness. She was now in her grave. 

I ijs^'^J t*"^ amijv: my*if'M shrx.»ting with my cni\mt\ 
in the morning and playing at billiards ; in the even- 
ing we ha^-l music and r^rad Scott's * J.ay of the Last 
Minstrel.' When the curt;iins are drawn, the hf^arth 
uwept, and the fire blazing, a g<'K><^] des^rrt of fruit, 



200 ELERS MEMOIRS 

some tine old port, pretty rosy children and happy 
father and mother, with a little malmsey and other 
white wines to drink, with the nuts, filberts, and wal- 
nuts — with all these delightful combinations I really 
think a country fireside in the month of October is 
most enchanting. All this I had for a tleeting month, 
when 1 winged my way once more to the dark and 
^*^^§Sy iiiodern Babylon about the month o{ the 
dismal November, iSoo. 

Having arrived in town. 1 met Major Gordon, of 
the 34th. and a Captain Williams, of the 74th. 
They told me they were boarding and lodging, but 
in a very unfashionable part of the town. I did not 
mind that, and for the sake oi their company — for I 
began to get tired o\ living at a hotel — I joined 
them. I forgot to mention that in the summer I 
contrived to spend a fortnight with my brother in 
barracks, at Brayborne Lees, Kent, where the 43rd 
Light Infantry were quartered. When I last saw 
the regiment they were at Hilsea Barracks (1796) ; 
they were then the worst dressed regiment I ever 
saw. Ten years after they were, without any excep- 
tion, the finest body of men I ever saw, so well 
dressed, and men all of the same height. In short, 
they were Light Infantry, and the officers all superb, 
such as Napier^ and Fergusson, now the finest and 
most celebrated officers in the Queen's service. The 
43rd and the 52nd were the favourite regiments of Sir 
John Moore, and were formed under his eye. All 
^ Sir William Napier, K.C.B., historian of the Peninsular ^^'ar. 



THE DUKE Oh YORK 201 

the military world knows how they distinguished 
themselves under the illustrious Duke in the i^enin- 
sula, where my dear brother died as Major soon 
after the Battle of I'uentes d'Onor, on which occa- 
sion he commanded the 43rd Regiment. 

It was, I think, in 1806 that my brother Edward, 
your father, married Miss Younghusband, your 
mother. I think you were born about a year after 
at No. 24, Duke Street, Manchester Square. I 
recollect a great friend of your mother's, a Lady 
Trelawny. I remember your poor father, who had 
all the downright bluntness and honesty of a British 
sailor, making me laugh very much. Lady Trelawny 
was a large woman, and had got wet through in her 
thin kid shoes. Your mother had a particularly 
.small and pretty foot ; of course. Lady T. could not 
wear her shoes, and a new pair of my brother's were 
selected for her ladyship's use. Lady T. began to 
apologize about wearing his shoes. ' Oh, never 
mind, my lady ; it will stretch them for me — do 
them good ' ! Poor fellow ! he intended to be kind 
and civil. 

About the month of November I waited upon 
the Duke of York at his levee at the Horse Guards 
to ask for an extension of leave. After waiting a 
long time in an ante-room, my name was called out 
by the aide-de-camp in waiting. The door opened, 
then closed, and I found myself alone with the 
Duke. He was dressed in mourning for his uncle, 
the Duke of Brunswick. He was standing up with 



202 ELERS MEMOIRS 

his back to the fire. He bowed, and motioned with 
his hand for me to sit down. I in very few words 
told him what I wanted, which was another year's 
leave of absence, as out of the original leave granted 
in India five months had been spent at sea. He 
told me he would speak to the Adjutant-General 
about it, and I thanked H.R. H., and was on the 
point of making my bow, recollecting how many 
prosy men he has to be bored by every week, and 
so had determined not to say one word more than 
what was necessary. But he made me sit down, 
and asked me many questions about the regiment, 
India, etc. At last he made me his bow, and I 
retired. I could not help admiring the perfect 
symmetry of his limbs, but he had got enormously 
fat since I last saw him. 

A few days afterwards, to my great mortification, 
I received a letter from the Adjutant saying that I 
had His Royal Highness's permission to remain in 
England, but that I must embark by the first fleet 
that sailed for India. A more unsatisfactory or 
stnpid answer it was not possible to receive. I 
could not sail for India until a fleet sailed, and I 
must necessarily remaifi in England until it did. I 
did not think it worth my while to trouble either 
myself or H.R. H. by any further application or 
remonstrance as to this stupid answer to my request, 
so I made up my mind to go by the first fleet. 

I forgot to mention that on my first arrival in 
England there was a little man of the name of Paul, 



DINNER TO LORD WELLESLEY 203 

who had gone out to India as a mere adventurer, 
and who, in order to gain a name, wished to prefer 
some groundless and maHcious charges against 
Lord Wellesley and his government in India. I 
think he was an indigo-planter, and had acquired a 
fortune, and that Lord Wellesley had been of some 
service to him. He got into Parliament by means 
of his money, and Sir Francis Burdett patronized 
him ; but they afterwards had a quarrel, which ended 
in a duel. However, just when I arrived, meeting 
some of Lord Wellesley's friends, they asked me if 
I would put down my name as a subscriber to a 
dinner in honour of Lord Wellesley, to mark the 
respect and affectionate regard we had for his public 
services in India, and to counteract the dirty con- 
spiracy of the vulgar Mr. Paul, who in India could 
never presume to sit at the same table with his 
lordship, but in this country was made a tool of by 
some of Lord Wellesley's enemies. I said that I 
was only too happy, and that I had received so 
many kind favours both from him and his brother 
that I should be glad to have the opportunity of 
giving him twenty dinners. One hundred and fifty 
names were put down as subscribers ; a respectful 
letter was written to Lord Wellesley, expressive of 
their respect and affection for his person and his 
government, and to request that he would honour 
them with his company to dinner, and would bring 
with him fifty of his own friends whom he should 
invite to meet him. 



204 ELERS MEMOIRS 

The invitation was accepted, and covers for 200 
were laid at Willis's Rooms in the month of March, 
1 806. Lord W. asked all the foreign Ambassadors, 
most of the leading men of the two Houses of 
Parliament, and the room was brilliantly lighted, 
and shone with a profusion of Stars, Orders, and 
Decorations. I never in my life saw anything so 
truly magnificent. All London was ransacked to 
procure all kinds of delicacies — turtle, venison, 
pines, melons, peas — in short, everything in and 
out of season. The band of the Guards attended, 
as also many celebrated singers of the day. Every- 
thing was well arranged. The dinner cost 2,250 
guineas ; my share came to 1 5 guineas, which I 
paid into Morlands', the bankers. The tables were 
well arranged. One table went across the room, in 
the centre of which sat the Marquess, and on his 
right and left on each side were the Ministers and 
foreign Ambassadors and his own friends, to the 
number of fifty. There were two long tables 
running down each side of the room for us, and in 
the centre were placed the singers and the band. 
All the clever men who arranged this party 
divided themselves, and each took care of some 
dozen of us. I was in the division belonging to 
Gerald Wellesley, and I sat between the Honour- 
able General Phipps and General Cotton, and made 
them known to each other. Lord Mulgrave was of 
our party, and the General, his brother, introduced 
me to him. I found out that a relationship existed 



SIR THOMAS METCALFE 205 

between Colonel Aston and General Phipps, and 
the General ever after honoured me with his friend- 
ship. General Cotton, I remember, pointed Sir 
Thomas Metcalfe^ out to me. It did not occur to 
me at the time that he had married a relation of my 
mother's. All went off in perfect harmony, and we 
did not separate until an early hour. 

^ Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Baronet, married, 1782, Susannah 
Sophia, daughter of John Debonnaire and second cousin of the 
writer. 



CHAPTER XIII 

Miss Gardner and Lord Chartley — A miserable marriage — Lord 
Chartley's flight — Lady Chartley elopes — Sir Thomas Picton 
— Torture in Trinidad — The Isle of Wight — A calumnious 
clergyman — Society at Colonel Thornton's. 

On my first arrival in England I was introduced to 
a very young and delicate-looking girl, the only 
daughter and heiress to an immense fortune, a Miss 
Gardner, daughter of a Mr. and Mrs, Gardner, of 
Grosvenor Street, The father was a vulgar little 
man of low origin, I believe, who had run away with 
his wife, who was the daughter of a rich lawyer in 
the Isle of Ely at a place called Chatteris. Mrs, 
Gardner was decidedly mad, and as I sat at dinner 
I really did not feel comfortable with the knives in 
her hands. As to the daughter, poor little thing ! 
she had not one word to say for herself — very shy 
and innocent. My friend Miss Hutchinson used to 
say to me : ' There is a fine fortune )iow for you. 
How should you like to have Miss Gardner?' etc. 
' 111 tell you what, Miss Hutchinson,' I said : ' I like 
Miss Gardner's /;'(7jr^eT/jr very much, and perhaps I 
might, if I knew the young lady better, like \\^x for 
herself ; but I am in England for a very short time, 

[ -'o6 ] 



A BID FOR AN HEIRESS 207 

and I cannot afford to throw away time so prccifjus 
to me in dangling after a young lady that I have no 
chance of getting without assistance. Now it is in 
your power to put me in the way of putting her into 
a chaise and four, and I will marry her at all risks. 
If you will promise to give me your assistance, I will 
give you a draft upon my banker this moment for a 
thousand pounds.' Poor Miss H. was one of your 
conscientious, prudent ladies — no dash, no resolution. 
She thought there was no harm to make my mouth 
water by asking me how I should like a young lady 
with ^300,000. It was something like asking a 
little boy : ' How should you like, my dear, to have 
a nice little pony }' ' Very much, mamma.' ' Ah ! 
but, my dear, I am afraid to trust you. You must 
wait till you are a big boy,' etc. This tantalizing I 
think very cruel. So Miss Hutchinson acted towards 
me. ' Oh, she would not do such a thing for the 
world ! Such a breach of trust !' etc. Poor Miss 
Gardner was so watched by her parents that she 
never slept out of their room, and was scarcely ever 
out of their sight. Pretty chance had I, therefore, 
without the assistance of Miss Gardner's friend, the 
old maid. 

Miss Hutchinson had a sister married to a Dr. 
Curling, and he possessed a very pretty villa and 
grounds at Westbourne Green. This villa Lord 
Chartley,^ a son of the Earl of Leicester, rented of 

^ George, Lord Chartley, afterwards Marquess of Townshend, 
married, 1807, Sarah, daughter and heir of William Dunn-Gardner, 



2o8 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Dr. Curling, and Dr. C. had lodgings in St. James's 
Street. On the occasion of one of the Drawing-rooms 
the Doctor invited his lordship to come and partake 
of a breakfast at which there was a large party to 
see the ladies Qfo to Court, and he g-ave him a hint 
that Miss Gardner, a young lady, an heiress, would 
be there. Lord Chartley was somewhat in debt, and 
he took the hint directly. He was introduced in 
form. This took place about March, just as I was 
leaving London for the Isle of Wight to embark for 
India. Lord Chartley proposed for Miss Gardner, 
was accepted, and Mr. G. paid his debts, amounting 
to ^15,000, and gave his daughter ;^2 5,000, but 
settled on herself. I returned to town very un- 
expectedly from the Isle of Wight early in May, and 
on the 1 2th of that month Lord Chartley was 
married to Miss Gardner. It was not right of 
Dr. Curling ever to have introduced Lord Chartley 
to Miss Gardner. His lordship's character was 
notorious to the whole world, with the exception of 
the obscure Mr. Gardner, who, I think, had he 
known what all the world knew, never would have 
given his consent. Miss Gardner was married, but 
his lordship never consummated that marriage. 
Lady Chartley confided to a female friend the dis- 
gusting particulars of what had passed, and what she 
had suffered for nine months at Westbourne Green, 

of Chatteris. She left him in 1808, and went through a form of 
marriage with John Margetts, brewer, at Gretna Green, 1809, by 
whom she had a large illegitimate family. 



A WRETCHED MARRIAGE 209 

where she confessed she had bitterly repented of 
ever having had the misery of being united to his 
lordship, and wisJmig that I had been the happy 
man instead. So I concluded that my name 
had been long before mentioned to her by her 
friend. 

Lady Chardey about nine months after her 
marriage, in a fit of anguish and despair, drove to 
her father's house, threw herself at his feet, claimed 
his protection, and disclosed scenes nearly equal to 
those for which the infamous Mervin, Lord Audley, 
was executed on Tower Hill in the reign of 
Charles I. Off went Mr. Gardner to Bow Street ; a 
warrant was granted against Lord C, who fled the 
country and has never appeared since. It was some- 
thing curious that a few months before he had 
brought an action against the proprietors of the 
Herald for libel, and had a verdict in his favour 
against them for ^2,000 damages. Lady Chardey 
lived with her father about six weeks, seeing no one 
but a Mr. Margetts, a brewer, I believe, who had 
formerly been an unsuccessful suitor for her hand. 
One night she ran away with this gallant hero, who 
put her into a hackney coach and drove about with 
her all night, not knowing where to take her, when 
towards morning they found themselves at the 
Spaniards at Hampstead Heath. They have lived 
together ever since, and there are many children now 
grown up, who have assumed the titles of the 
Townshend family. Lord Chartley's father, the 

14 



2IO ELERS MEMOIRS 

Marquess o( T..^ disinherited him, but Lord C. had 
an estate oi ,{'^,000 per annum in right of his mother. 
His next brother. Lord Charles Townshend, in- 
herited Raynham and all the family estates. The 
Marquess of Townshend disposed of his property in 
this way : He left Lord Charles ,:{, 5.000 a year out 
of his property in Norfolk, and he reserved the 
surplus o( his estates to form a fund for fourteen 
years, and after that period the whole oi' the estates 
were to be given up to Lord Charles, which would 
make his income /, 25,000 per annum. I afterwards 
got acquainted with Lord Charles at Major Elring- 
ton's. the commanding officer at the Tower, a con- 
nection of Lord Charles's, who had married his 
cousin, Miss Loftus, whom I have met at Sir Samuel 
Fludyer's in Suffolk. Lord Charles, in speaking of his 
brother's wife, said that after the death of his brother 
he made no doubt he should have great trouble in 
getting his title as Marquess Townshend, as it was a 
very difficult case ; but I sincerely hope, for the sake 
of the noble blood of the Townshends, that it will 
go in the legitimate line.- 

I took, as I thought, a last farewell of London 
and all my friends. Among the rest I went to Sir 
Thomas Picton, who invariably treated me with 

^ The ^Marquess of Townshend was created in 17S4 Earl of 
Leicester. He succeeded to the Marquisate of Townshend in 1S07. 

- John Margetts, son of John Margetts by Sarah Lady Town- 
shend, nee Dunn-Gardner, was declared illegitimate by Act of 
Parliament, 1S43, after having claimed the title of fc^arl of Leicester, 
and sat as such for Bodmin, 1S41-43. 



SIR THOMAS PICTON 211 

great kindness, I suppose chiefly from my being an 
old officer in the 12th Regiment, which quite 
belonged to the family of the Pictons. He used to 
say to me : ' I do not know what you have done to 
my old uncle, but he is quite wrapped up in you. I 
assure you, you are a great favourite.' This I felt 
very flattering, and I am sure Sir Thomas liked me, 
as he tried to get me on his Staff, and applied to the 
Commander-in-Chief for that purpose ; but without 
success, as I afterwards was put on the Recruit- 
ing Service, when old Dundas was Commander-in- 
Chief. Sir Thomas Picton was a brave soldier, a 
warm friend, but an inveterate and bitter enemy, 
and it did not matter however high the rank might 
be of the person whom he hated. He never forgave 
the Duke of Wellington about his brother's quarrel 
with Colonel Aston — not that I can bring to mind 
that Colonel Wellesley had anything to do with it at 
all. On the contrary, I know the Duke strongly 
advised Aston not to publish the order in question 
which led to his death. I have not a doubt that this 
was the ground of their differences in the Peninsula. 
I heard one day that in one of the Peninsular battles 
a division was performing prodigies of valour in the 
sight of the Duke. ' Well done, Fifth Division !' 
cried the Duke. ' Well done. Fifth Division, 
indeed !' said Sir Thomas ; 'it is my division, the 
Third! ' Oh, I thought it was the Fifth !' cried the 
Duke. ' You thought^ indeed f cried Sir Thomas, 
and rode proudly away. 

14 — 2 



212 ELERS MEMOIRS 

I only relate this anecdote to show the character 
of the man. Could there be one other nian in the 
whole British Army that would have made such a 
reply to the Duke of Wellington ? I do not mean to 
say that this was in good taste, but only to show the 
character of the man. Aftor the celebrated retreat 
from Inirgos. I called upon General Picton, He 
was in a great rage at what he called the treatment 
he had received. I did not like to presume to ask 
him who had given hint offence, but I suppose it was 
the Duke. ' I'll tell you what, Elers.' said he : *they 
may force me out — that I cannot help — but I will 
never serve again if I can avoid it.' Ministers, how- 
ever, knew his value, and so did the Commander- 
in-Chief, for they made him a Grand Cross oi the 
Bath : and the Duke of Wellington hiniself. well 
knowing" his invaluable services, applied for him to 
join his army on the last great occasion, the return 
of Bonaparte from Elba. I met poor Picton one day 
in Pall INIall. ' What's the news, Sir Thomas ?' 
' Why, I have just now heard,' said he. ' that Bona- 
parte has escaped from Elba and is now in France.' 
I expressed my surprise and incredulity. ' Well.' 
said he, ' you have it as I have had it. and that is all 
I know about it.' These are the last words I ever 
heard from his lips, and the last time I ever saw him 
tilive. The next time I saw him was in the front 
parlour of his lodgings in Edward Street. Portman 
Square. Iving dead in his coffin, his sword scabbard 
bruised with shot, his boots uncleaned and stained 



PICTON'S FUNERAL 213 

with the yellow mud of Waterloo, and his accoutre- 
ments lying about in confusion. It was doubtful 
whether the hero would have a public funeral, but 
his brother, the Rev. Edward Picton, told me that 
he would be buried quite privately, and that only his 
most intimate friends would be present. He flattered 
me much by requesting me to attend the funeral, 
which I did. There were about eight mourning 
coaches — the Honourable General Stewart and Sir 
Ewen Cameron, a general officer and most attached 
friend ; his aide-de-camp, Major Tyler ; Edward 
Picton ; and many others, I remember. He was 
buried in St. George's Chapel, Uxbridge Road, in a 
vault under the chapel. Old Sir Ewen put his hand 
on the coffin in the vault, the tears rolling down his 
cheeks : 'God bless thee, Tom Picton ! fare thee well.' 
It was a truly interesting and melancholy sight. 
Poor fellow ! when I first came home he was perse- 
cuted by General F and brought to trial 

for what they called torturing Louisa Calderon 
at the Island of Trinidad. This girl, a slave, was 
tried at Trinidad for theft. The Spanish laws were 
in force, and the girl being found guilty, she was 
sentenced, according to the Spanish laws, to stand 
upon a sharp peg for a certain time. It was a very 
common punishment for the Dragoons when I first 
entered the service, and it was called picketing. 

Colonel E had had some quarrel with 

General Picton, and out of revenge trumped up this 
charge against the General, lie had anticipated an 



214 ELERS MEMOIRS 

acquittal, and had asked a very large party of his 
friends, includino- myself, to dinner at the British 
Hotel on the day of the trial. The trial lasted until 
past the hour of dinner. At length he arrived with 
his friends from the court at Westminster, saying 
that the trial was postponed until some witnesses 
could arrive from the West Indies. This was a 
certain way of ruining poor Picton by the dreadful 
expense, which was the chief motive that prompted 

Colonel F to pursue this course, as the 

Crown prosecuted, with no expense to F . 

We were all very sorry for poor Picton, and the 
Duke of Oueensberry, who was not at all acquainted 
with him, wrote and told him he was convinced he 
had been hardly used, and that his law expenses 
must be very great, and begged his acceptance of 
;^5,ooo towards defraying the law charges. Picton 
wrote his thanks, but declined receivino: it, savino" he 
had an uncle, General William Picton, who would 
pay them for him. The Duke of Oueensberry after- 
wards left him in his will /" 10,000. He often used 

to say to me : ' That rascal F is a rank 

deception, and so he has been all his life.' 

On my going down to the depot at the Isle of 
Wight, General Picton gave me a letter of introduc- 
tion to Colonel Barlow, the commanding officer, and 
I was in consequence received with great attention 
by that officer and all the Staff of the depot. The 
depot was a short mile from the town of Newport, 
and we only had to attend a parade that did not last 



ISLE OF WIGHT 215 

half an hour after breakfast. I got intimate with all 
the Staff, particularly with the present Sir William 
Boothby,' Baronet, a fine, handsome young man, 
just married to a dauc^hter of Lord Liverpool's ; 
Captain Bygrave, of the Staff, who knew my brother, 
having served with him in the West Indies ; Mr. and 
Mrs. Knyvett ; the Paymaster, and several others. 
The depot was full of officers and soldiers waiting 
for the opportunity of being sent out, like myself, to 
join their regiments in all parts of the world. 

About a mile from Newport lies the pretty village 
of Carisbrook. When I was a youngster, on my 
first joining my regiment I used often of an evening 
to walk out to this village across the fields. I used 
to observe a very happy family party who came 
every day to attend the market. This party con- 
sisted of a young man and his pretty young wife, 
the young man's mother, and her husband, a Captain 
in the Navy, a great deal younger than herself. 
They lived at Carisbrook in a pretty cottage covered 
with a large spreading vine and roses, and with many 
flowers in the little garden in front of the house, 
which was called Clatterford Cottage. They used 
to come into Newport, sometimes in a handsome 
post-chaise, and sometimes the young gentleman 
came with his blood horses, attended by his groom. 
I thought they appeared a truly happy family party, 
and one day I asked the groom the name of his 

' Sir William iJoothby, Baronet, married Fanny, niece, not 
daughter, of Charles, first Earl of Liverpool. 



2i6 ELERS MEMOIRS 

master. He said it was Edgeworth. I directly 
went up and introduced myself to him, and he said : 
' I know your name well, and my mother, Mrs. 
Douglas, knew your father well, and will be 
delighted to see you ; you must come out and dine 
with us to-day without ceremony. We shall make 
no ceremony with you, as you are one of the family.' 
I went accordingly, and I think we dined at the 
early hour of four. I spent a very pleasant day, and 
returned home to my lodgings at Newport, having 
promised them often to visit them at their cottage. 
Douglas was a Captain on half-pay, and married 
Mrs. Edgeworth from pure affection, independently 
of her jointure, which, I suppose, was a good one, to 
judge by her son's fortune. 

During my stay at the depot in the Isle of Wight 
I was ordered to sit upon a general court-martial, 
and about that period I met a clergyman of the name 
of Chudleigh, whom I recollected, when a boy, 
staying at my Uncle Colston's house on a visit 
with my cousins, who were brought up with him 
both at Winchester College and afterwards at 
Oxford. In the course of conversation he spoke 
very disrespectfully of my cousin, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Colston, and I instantly, in a letter to the Colonel, 
mentioned what he had said. The Colonel at once 
came down to Newport to demand an explanation 
of Mr. Chudleigh, and this man, a disgrace to the 
cloth he wore, utterly denied ever having made use 
of the language I had reported to my cousin. The 



THE COLONEL AND THE PARSON 217 

court-martial of which I was a member had closed 
their proceedings, but had not dissolved, and had I 
complied with Colonel Colston's wishes to have 
acted as his friend on this occasion, I should have 
been liable to have got into a very serious scrape, 
being on duty and not released from it. I ndependently 
of that, Mr. Chudleigh, who had the meanness to 
deny his own words, was not likely to fight, par- 
ticularly as he could shelter himself behind his cloth. 
At this time I had gone to Portsmouth to see a 
74-gun ship launched, leaving word where I was to 
be found. On my return to Newport, Mr. Chud- 
leigh had left, and I never afterwards saw this calum- 
niator and pitiful liar. However, Colonel Colston, 
who is not, whatever his good qualities may be, very 
remarkable for good sense, thought proper to feel him- 
self ill-used by me, and we have never spoken since. 
Poor man ! I do not blame him, but he is under the 
control of his wife, who insisted that he should show 
fight, and was very bitter against me because I did 
not choose to run the risk of losing my commission to 
gratify her revenge against the miscreant Chudleigh. 
I remained at the depot about two months, expect- 
ing every day to be ordered to embark, when one 
day I got a letter from the Horse Guards that I was 
ordered to go on the Recruiting Service, and that my 
party was stationed at Ipswich, in Suffolk. Oh, how 
delighted I was ! Your^ father was now a Lieutenant 

^ These Memoirs were addressed to the nephew of the author, 
the son of his younger brother, Lieut. Edward Elers, R.N. — Ed. 



21 8 ELERS MEMOIRS 

on half-pay, and lived with your mother in a good 
house at Emsworth, about fourteen miles from 
Portsmouth, and his mother-in-law lived in the 
same village. It was a dull place, and the only neigh- 
bours he had were Navy people, vulgar, ill-bred, and 
illiterate. He used to make bitter complaints to me 
of his want of society. You were not above a year 
old at this time. I forget whether I paid him a 
visit before I went to town, but I know I did in 
August following, as I went on duty to the Isle of 
Wight about the latter end of September. I returned 
to town in excellent health and spirits, and took up 
my old quarters at the New Hummums. 

Colonel Thornton had at this time very serious 
thoughts of taking unto himself a wife, and, as chance 
would have it, I was the indirect means of his 
obtaining one. At this time he had an immense 
old-fashioned house in Lincoln's Inn Fields, once 
the property of Lord Kenyon. This he had 
purchased and filled with valuable paintings by old 
and modern masters. He had his horses, carriages, 
and servants in town, and he had another large 
house called Dorset House near Manchester Square, 
and a small house near Astley's Theatre, which he 
called 'The Boudoir.' At his house in Lincoln's 
Inn Fields he gave bad dinners but plenty of good 
wine, I used generally to dine there four days out 
of the seven, and there I met all sorts of people, 
consisting of actors, authors, painters, musicians, 
peers, boxers, poets, etc. Of the former I have met 



COLONEL THORNTON'S PARTIES 219 

Kelly, Incledon,^ Munden, etc. ; Bowden, Reynolds, 
etc. ; Ashley, Attwood,'^ etc. ; Peter Pindar, '"^ Lord 
Scarborough, Lord Coleraine (the celebrated George 
Hanger) ;* Major Wilson, afterwards Lord Berners ; 
Daniel Mendoza r""' Messrs. Wichelo, Reinagle, 
Barrett, and Morland, these last celebrated painters, 
and a variety of others. What scenes of fun, wit, 
and humour I have witnessed at these parties ! I 
have not enumerated one-half of them, and there 
are now very few alive that used * to set the table in 
a roar.' There was one fine old gentleman called 
Tom Adkin. He had spent his fortune chiefly with 
the late Mr. Whitbread, and he had been for many 
years a pensioner of Mr. W. Lady Elizabeth W. 
much respected him, and attended him on his death- 
bed a few years since. He had kept in his youth the 
highest society, and was quite delighted when I told 
him I knew poor Colonel Grey, of the 12th Regi- 
ment. He gave me a letter to Lord Charles 
Fitz-Roy, who commanded at Ipswich, a great 
friend of Colonel Aston's, and he was civil to me 

^ Michael Kelly and Incledonwere the most celebrated English 
tenors of their day. 

2 Thomas Attwood, born 1767, died 1838 ; organist of St. Paul's 
Cathedral and the Chapel Royal. 

^ ' Peter Pindar,' the noted satirist. 

* George Hanger, afterwards fourth Lord Coleraine. Well 
known as Colonel Hanger, a companion of the Prince Regent. 
Was the author of several pamphlets, and of his own ' Life, 
Adventures, and Opinions.' Died 1824. 

^ Daniel Mendoza, the Jewish pugilist. 



220 v^. ELERS MEMOIRS 

by asking me to his house during the Christmas 
holidays ensuing. 

I forgot to mention that when I left London for 
India I sold my thoroughbred mare ai Tattersall's. 
Buckle, the famous jockey, came all the way from 
Newmarket for the purpose of buying her ; but 
Colonel Thornton persuaded me to put off the sale, 
and to sell her to a friend of his, a turf man, who 
said afterwards that she was too slight for him. I 
therefore lost the opportunity of selling her to 
advantage, and she was knocked down for only 
thirty-eight guineas. Before I left London I went 
down to Ascot races with three ladies in a barouche — 
l\Irs. Sherston, wife to Mr. Sherston, Madras Civil 
Service ; Mrs. Roebuck, the mother of the present 
member of Parliament ; and her half-sister, a most 
lovely young girl, a Miss Stapleton. The two last 
long since went to Russia. On our return we dined 
at a private house at Bedfont. We had a most 
delightful party. 



CHAPTER XIV 

Recruiting at Ipswich — Ordered to Maidstone — Return to Ipswich 
— A sporting parson — Pictures at Didlington — A large in- 
heritance — The maid's ^50 note — A swim for the rods — 
Hawking at Didlington — Disgust at cock-fighting — A 
gardener's familiarity — Orwell Park and Wherstead Lodge — 
A rascally butler — Admiral Vernon and grog — The Duke of 
Cambridge and Baron Linsengen. 

After passing a gay month in London, I set off for 
Ipswich. I shall never forget how dull I felt the 
first two or three days. I did not know a single 
soul in the whole town. I had a recruiting party 
consisting of one poor old-fashioned sergeant, 
Dalrymple, an honest creature ; a corporal ; a 
drummer, fifer, and four or five privates. They 
were the first people I spoke to. The town of 
Ipswich at this time was full of military — the 
loth Light Dragoons, the 7th ditto, under Lord 
Paget, the West Suffolk Militia, Hertford ditto, etc. 
The inspecting field officer was old Colonel Sir 
William Aylett ; he was not much liked, but I got 
on with him very well, and also with his Adjutant, 
a Lieutenant Hutchinson. These were the two first 
people I knew, the former being my commanding 
officer. Lieutenant H. was a married man, and he 

[ 221 ] 



222 ELERS MEMOIRS 

assisted me to procure lodgings, which I had much 
difficulty in finding. At last I got very good ones, 
drawing-room and two bedrooms. 

It happened that an old friend of mine whom I 
knew in the Company's service had lately got into 
the loth Dragoons — Harding, a son of Newman 
Harding of Essex, well known as a Master of Hounds. 
He introduced me soon after I arrived to all the 
loth, and I dined at their mess, and no longer 
found it dull or moped about the town by myself. I 
also got acquainted with a mad fellow by the name 
of Tom Brydges, the son and heir of old General 
Brydges of India. He ran away with his wife from 
a ball. Their united ages did not exceed thirty-two, 
and, as it turned out, she was a woman of good 
family, and had afterwards a very good fortune. 
He had just sold out of the 4th Dragoons, and his 
father allowed him ^700 a year. He kept an 
immense high tandem, and lived in lodgings with 
his wife. I had just formed these pleasant acquaint- 
ances, and was beginning to find myself comfortable, 
when I received a billet-doux from the Adjutant- 
General ordering me to repair to Maidstone to 
receive the volunteers and officers from the Militia 
who had volunteered into the line. Off I went, and 
arrived with my party at Maidstone, where I found 
many officers of the line, like myself, ready to receive 
their men. I put up at the Star Inn at Maidstone, 
where I found a handsome gold watch and chain 
and seals, that, on inquiry, I learnt belonged to the 



RECRUITING 223 

landlord, who might have lost them by his careless- 
ness, had I not had the pleasure of restoring them to 
him, I received from the Suffolk Militia 100 fine 
fellows and two officers. The 12th Regiment is 
called the East Suffolk. We formed a mess at the 
Bell Inn, Maidstone, and I made there an acquaint- 
ance, which ripened into an uninterrupted friendship, 
which exists to this day, with Captain Watson, of 
the 69th Regiment. He is nephew to my friend 
Calcraft, whom I knew in India. He was long 
after this badly wounded in the 69th, where he held 
the rank of Major at the Battle of Waterloo. He 
was upwards of forty years in the service, never 
under arrest, taken prisoner at Bergen-op-Zoom, 
retired from the service with the rank of Lieutenant- 
Colonel in the army only, without pension, orders, 
or any reward — universally beloved and esteemed. 
But such is the fortune of some men. 

We were ordered to proceed with our men to 
Brayborne Lees, where Major Napier of the 50th 
commanded, and from thence to the Isle of Wight, 
in order to have them embarked for the East Indies. 
I marched all the way with my men, and delivered 
them over to General Taylor of my regiment, at 
that time commanding at the depot. This was a 
very troublesome service, particularly about their 
pay and accounts. At last I settled everything, and 
called on my kind friends at Clatterford Cottage, 
stayed a few days with them, and then paid a visit 
to my brother and your mother^ at Emsworth for a 
1 Mrs. Edward Elers. — Ed. 



224 ELERS MEMOIRS 

couple of days, returned to Portsmouth, and trom 
thence to London. I forgot to say that, during my 
short stay in the island, there was an annual ball 
held in September, called the Hunters' Ball. This 
I attended, and danced with Lady Torrington. She 
was livinof at a beautiful cottage in the Island. All 
the beauty and fashion of the Island were at this 
ball, and I spent a very pleasant evening. 

I got to Ipswich about the middle of November, 
and I found on my arrival about half a dozen of the 
volunteers whom I had selected to strengthen my 
recruiting party. I selected one tall, good-looking 
man for a servant, and I found by the assistance of 
these new recruits that I enlisted every now and 
then some raw country fellow. In the meantime I 
made further progress in the society of Ipswich. 
There was a reading-room, a coffee-room, and a 
billiard-table. All these rooms were open to all 
officers at the moderate subscription of one guinea 
per annum, and they were attended constantly by 
all the respectable part of the town as well as of the 
county. At the same house were held the monthly 
subscription balls, which were well attended by the 
military and the Ipswich and country folks. By 
this means I much extended my acquaintance, and 
made my time pass very pleasantly. There was a 
clergyman, an old bachelor, a man of good fortune 
and with a snug living, who was very fond of a 
game at billiards. One day he came into Ipswich 
with his servant and saddle-horses, and after we had 



A SPORTING PARSON 225 

done our ^ame, he asked me to come home with 
him and dine ; and I rode his servant's horse to his 
rectory, about four miles from Ipswich, to Freston, 
on the banks of the river Orwell, a lovely country 
all round, and full of game which was strictly 
preserved. Mr. Bond, for that was his name, I 
found very hospitable ; he loved a glass of good 
port, was well read, fond of music, and strictly 
preserved a wood of his full of pheasants. His 
temper was irritable, and when excited, I have 
heard, very violent ; but I never through a long 
acquaintance ever had the slightest difference with 
him. The first day I dined with him, I found, over 
our wine, that he knew most intimately one of my 
schoolfellows, a Mr. Revell, who was married to a 
very charming woman, and lived at Englefield 
Green. He also knew a Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, 
the latter a cousin of mine ; and also the Rev. 
George Anguish of Norfolk, brother to the Duchess 
of Leeds, who were related to my old cousin, Mrs. 
Blake. All these were his intimate friends, and 
from that day he formed a friendship with me. 

My father and mother were on terms of great 
friendship with Sir Thomas and Lady Cullum, of 
Hardwick House and Bury, Suffolk, and the 
Dowager Lady Cullum used generally to spend six 
weeks with us every spring. Sir Thomas had a 
sister, the widow of Mr. Vernon of Orwell Park, and 
she had two children, John and Arethusa Vernon, 
about my own age, whom I recollect perfectly when 

15 



226 ELERS MEMOIRS 

a child. Mrs. Vernon was a schoolfellow of my 
mother's, and used also to visit us when she came to 
town. I told all this to Mr. Bond, who made Mr. 
Vernon acquainted with it, and Mr. V. called upon 
me and invited me to Orwell Park, which lay on the 
other side of the river, nearly opposite to Mr. Bond's ; 
Sir Robert Harland, who married Arethusa, sister to 
Mr. Vernon, lived on the opposite side to Mr. Vernon, 
at a place called Wherstead Lodge,^ about two miles 
from Ipswich. 

It was in the year i8oS that I got very intimate 
with Mr. Vernon and renewed the long intimacy 
with Sir Thomas and Lady Cullum, my father's 
old friends. My brother was also quartered at 
Colchester, so everything conspired to make me 
happy and comfortable. And to vary the scene I 
used to go every now and then a trip to London. 
On one of these jaunts I met Major Wilson, after- 
wards Lord Berners. He was the greatest oddity 
I ever knew. He asked me to go down to his 
seat at Didlington, and to go to the Swaffham 
races near there, where he had some horses to run. 
We set off in his barouche. He was a most remark- 
ably silent man, scarcely ever opening his lips, and 
this in a carriage, on a long journey, is not very 
pleasant. About sixteen miles from town we 
suddenly stopped at a handsome pair of gates. The 
bell rang, and we drove into a courtyard where there 

^ Subsequently for some years, about 1S20, the residence of my 
grandfather, the first Earl Granville. — Ed. 



DIDLINGTON 227 

was a fine mansion. We alighted, and he then said: 
' This is my sister, Mrs. Russell.^ This is my friend, 
Captain Elers.' The Major was a man of few 
words. We sat down to a good dinner and good 
wine, and retired early to rest. Next morning after 
breakfast we took our departure. The name of this 
place is Stubbers. 

As we travelled with the Major's horses and two 
servants our journey was slow, and we reached 
Chesterford in the evening, where we slept, and got 
to Didlington to dinner on the following day. The 
house was an ancient family seat of the Wilsons, 
about four miles from Brandon and twelve from 
Thetford, beautifully wooded and watered. There 
was a fine sheet of water in front of the house, full 
of fish, and a heronry at the bottom of the lake. 
The dining-room had some old pictures, portraits of 
the family; Henry VIII., by Hans Holbein, in an 
old black carved frame ; the first Lord Berners in the 
reign of Henry VI. ; Sir Henry Guilford about the 
reign of James I. ; Lady Berners, who claimed the 
barony, and was allowed it by Parliament. She died 
in 1743, when the title sank into abeyance, and so 
remained until my friend the old Major was sum- 
moned by writ on May 7, 1832, as Baron Berners. 
I also noticed a small portrait, a profile of Henry V., 
and over the fireplace a large picture in three com- 

^ Susanna, daughter of Henry William Wilson, of Uidlington, 
County Norfolk. Married, first, William Russell, of Stubbers, 
County Essex ; second, Rev. Roger Keddington. 

15—2 



228 ELERS MEMOIRS 

partments, very old. in antique carved frame, a 
Scripture piece — a knight kneeling- at the feet o( the 
Virgin, his helmet at his feet, his shield and arms 
emblazoned and also elevated on a tree, like a target. 
There were other paintings, but these were the most 
remarkable. Upstairs in one of the bedrooms was a 
tine Vandevelde. representing a ship of war. and in 
the long old gallery was an escutcheon of the arms 
of one of the old Dukes oi' Norfolk. The second 
Lord Berners in 14S5 married L.ady Catherine 
Howard. The old Major was descended in the 
female line from Thomas o( Woodstock, Puke o( 
Gloucester. He very seldom mentioned his Royal 
descent, but one day after dinner he showed me his 
long and illustrious pedigree, and gave me an enter- 
taining anecdote of what occurred to him one night 
after dinner at the Duke of Rutland's at Helvoir 
Castle. The Duke happened to say he was de- 
scended from the Plantagenets. and bore the Royal 
Arms in his shield. The old Major, who looked 
like a plain country gentleman, said : ' I am also 
descended from the Plantagenets, and can quarter 
the Royal Amis too.' The company all stared, in- 
credulous. However, he removed all doubt on the 
subject by producing his pedigree the next time he 
came to Belvoir Castle. The barony of Berners is 
one of the oldest in the peerage, there not being- 
above six more ancient. His manners and dress 
were simple and unaftected. He was always clean 
in his person and linen, but his clothes before dinner 



A WINDFALL 229 

wen- of the oldest sort, often threadbare, and a hat 
with part of the brim torn off. You would not pick 
it off a dunghill. Ife^ was formerly a Captain in the 
4th Heavy Dragoons, and got, I think, his rank of 
Major from commanding a troop of Yeomanry 
Cavalry ; he was afterwards made a Lieutenant- 
Colonel. 

A singular piece of good luck befell him while he 
was quartered at the .Swan Inn, Bedford, which he 
related to me. One morning, sitting at breakfast, a 
lawyer was announced, his pockets stuffed out with 
parchment deeds, etc. ' .Sir, is your name Wilson, 
of Didlington in Norfolk ?' ' Ye.s, sir.' ' Then, sir, 
I have come here to inform you that your namesake, 
Mr, Wilson of Allexton Hall, in Leicestershire, has 
died and left you his heir to everything he has in the 
world — ;^70,ooo in the Funds and his estates in 
Leicestershire, which bring in above ^^5,000 per 
annum.' The Major took it very coolly. He said 
he had not the pleasure of knowing his namesake. 
In the course of the day he got post-horses and went 
over to Mrs. Russell's at .Stubbers, in Essex. ' Ah, 
Robert,' she said, ' this is an unexpected pleasure.' 
He never opened his lips about his good fortune till 
he had made an impression upon his secoiid bottle of 
port, when he said, ' Mr. Wilson of Allexton has 
left me all his estates,' and this was all he said on the 
subject. Upon this good fortune he gave each of 
his brothers and sisters ;^3,ooo, and I think he had 
^ Appointed Lieutenant in the 4th iJragoons 1778. 



230 ELERS MEMOIRS 

altogether six o\' them. l\c was very kind and 
generous to his brothers and sisters, and, wlien he 
took it into his head, to persons in distress ; but I 
have known him to be very careful in casting up a 
bill at an inn, niaking you pay your share to the very 
sixpence. He once gave to a servant-girl at a 
country town what he thought was a one-pound note. 
It was (7//i-r ditnicr. The next day the girl took it 
to a shop to buy a i^own. The girl tliought it was a 
one-pound note, and when the man began to question 
her where she had got the tifty-pound note, for such 
it was, the poor girl began to stammer and blush, 
and was at last obliged to confess the Major had given 
it to her. The Major was sent for. He confessed 
he had given her the note by mistake, but desired 
that it might be restored to her, and bade her keep it. 
I used to be very fond of attending the racing 
stables and seeing the horses take their gallops, and 
I sometimes rode them ; but it was very fatiguing. 
He had a trainer very little better than a ploughman, 
but his horses were so good that he very often won. 
When I first knew him he had a horse called 
Juniper, an extraordinary animal. He had been badly 
ridden at first, and had got a habit of swerving just 
at the end of the race. He bought this horse's dam 
for ;!^i50, and her colt was the horse called Juniper, 
thrown into the bargain. This was nearly his d6but 
on the turf, and being so successful induced him to 
breed and run horses. He refused 2)^QtOO guineas 
for Juniper. I recollect one summer starting with 



STAMFORD RACES 231 

him for Slaniford niccs, and wc took lluntingdrjn 
and Peterborough on our way. We travelled across 
th(; cf)uiilry in a bu^^y, anrl he sent his running 
hors(;s on before — I think there were thrf;e, to run at 
these three races. We wf.re very successful, and we 
were entertained by Sir Arthur Hazlerigg at Nosely 
1 lall, County Leicester, where I saw two lovely 
Vandykes — Charles I., and Henrietta Maria. 
We stayed there twf> days, and thf,n went to Colonel 
and Mrs. Crump at Allexton Hall, she bein^^ his 
sister at Stamford. We had race dinners at the 
Oeor^e Inn, and Lord Exeter was the steward, and 
brought over a large party from Jjurleigh. I visited 
the Countess of Lindsey at Uffmgton, and in the 
(•vening I went to the rooms and danced with Lady 
Anna Maria Sherard and the two Miss Fludyers — 
both married after, one to the Earl of Onslow, the 
other to Lord Brownlow. Sir John Trollope intro- 
duced me, and .said they would make ca[Mtal wives. 
They were very amiable and very accomplished. 

We afterwards went to lilatherwycke Park, 
Mr. O'Brien's, and visited his brother-in-law, 
Mr. Hodgkin, at Tixover. We returned home 
across the country by the Isle of lily, Wisbech, and 
so to Downham in Norfolk. During our su[)per one 
night at the George at Stamford, Sir William 
Mansell and Sir William Twysden sent in their 
compliments, inviting us to su[jper upon stewed 
carp. We went in after supper. Mansell and I 
played backgammon, and Twysden and the Major at 



2j;2 ELERS MEMOIRS 

the elegant i^anic o\ all lours. The two baronets 
beat us both, but we did not sutler nuich. 

On our arrival at Pidlington, after all these 
gaieties, it appeared so lovely— the smooth, trans- 
parent lake, the hsh sporting about, the freshness 
and scent of the tlowers, the nightingale singing in 
the evening, the herons tlying home from their daily 
fishing in Lincolnshire ; and the universal stillness 
all around proved a delightful contrast to the busy 
scene we had just left. I remember one day, just 
before dinner, we went out on the banks of the lake 
just for ten minutes to try our luck with our rods 
and lines. We had not been at this long before the 
butler canie to announce that dinner was on the 
table. We laid down our rods on the grass, leaving 
the lines in the water. We went to dinner, and, 
according to custom, we drank our usual allow- 
ance — three bottles. We then took a turn in the 
garden and so on to the lake ; coming to the spot 
where we left our rods, we found that they were 
gone, and saw them tloating upon the water in 
different directions. We called to the butler, and 
requested him to strip and fetch them out. But he 
had unluckily a bad cold, and begged to be excused. 
* Where are the two other men-serv^ants ?' said the 
Major. They were out in the village, and /u- was 
sure they would decline. ' Where are all the stable 
boys ?' They were all gone to bed. So at last the 
Major and myself were obliged to strip and swim 
into the middle of the lake for them, and were 



HAWKING 233 

rewarded by landing two noble pike. We then ran 
in undressed to the house, and got some brandy-and- 
water to prevent our catching cold. 

The Major kejA hawks and two falconers, who once 
lived with Louis, King of Holland, and before that 
with Colonel Thornton in Yorkshire, and I was 
present when they recognised their old master. We 
used to fly at the herons as they came home^ in the 
evening singly from the fens in Lincolnshire. We 
used to go to a large field called Cranwick Field, a 
mile or more from their roost. The flight of the 
hawks was extremely interesting. The hawk saw the 
herons an immense way off. He flew off the falconer's 
fist and took an opposite direction, and if the wind 
favoured him, pursued the poor heron, who would 
mount high up in the air, the hawk after him, nearly 
out of sight. He would return rapidly to the earth, 
and the hawk and heron came down together to the 
ground, the poor heron screaming and mortally 
stricken. Flying at magpies produces great sport. 
The magpie, the most cunning of all the feathered 
tribe and most difficult to kill, never attempted to 
fly away, but would fall amidst the horsemen, and 
would dodge and hop about under the horses, 
frequently escaping that way. They would sometimes 
pretend to lie dead under the feet of the horses, and 
would thus escape. The poor partridges had a much 
worse chance. They would cry out when struck by 
the hawk and excite great pity. I am very fond of 
' Probably from the heronry at Cressy Hall in Surfleet. 



:;4 M.l-KS Ml'MOlRS 

sport and of coursinor a hare ; but diivcily slu^ is 
caught luT cries are oxaoilv like* ihoso of a m-wK - 
born infaiu. vind I then wish inxsclt" a l\iuulrc\i 
miles otV. 

Wo had. when I nwis with nw roLiimont, otVicors 
fond of cook-tiohiiiig, and ii is n\ueh [>raclisod in 
pvUts ot" the b\ist. parlioularlv amon^ the Malays, 
who will stake their wi\ es. children, and e\ imi their 
own liberty upon the c^\ent ot" a battle. 1 had a 
man belonging- to mv compviny who pcMleetlv under- 
stood the training and healing of eoeks. and I Ikwo 
seen manv mains fought, but alw ays with great paii\ ; 
to see brave animals destroying thoniselves tor the 
amusement of man is great eruellv. 

The Major was tre^ited with gr(.\u respeet bv his 
serxants, but 1 saw one nii^ht a curious scene 
between him vuul an old a ver\ old — gardener, 
who had lived with his father and had known the 
Major tVom a boy. The Major was vcmn tond o( 
strawberries, and one day after diimcM- he tell in 
with the venerable old gardener toddling about. 
• Why don't you let n\e have more str.iwberries ?' 
'You have enough.' ' Init 1 will have niore.' 
' I tell you you /u2:y £V/(>//^v/. .md 1 would not let 
your old fuller have more if he was here.' The old 
gardener thought he was still talking to little Master 
Wilson tiftv vears back. The Major did not dis[nite 
the point turther, but turned awav smiling. 

The old family seat ot my friend John X'ernon 
was situated in the small vilLuje of Nacton. about 



ORWKrJ. PARK 235 

four milf:s from Ipswich. The mansion was built 
of n;d Ijrick, and I iljirjk by th^: famous Admiral 
Vf-.rnon,' his ^^rcat-unck:, who 'took Porto J>;llo 
with six ships only.' Afterwards Mr. Vernon's 
uncle, who was Earl of Shipbrook and Baron 
Orwell, lived here. My friend John had a lon^ 
minority, ;i.r)d his guardians let the mansion, j/ardens, 
and [jark with de'-,r to the h.arl of Beverley for the 
small sum of five or six hundred jjer annum, and his 
estates were let on lon^ leases at very small rents. 
When I became intimate with him in 1808 the 
leases were nearly run out, which incrf:^sed his 
income from three to eight thousand a year. The 
front of this large house lost much of its grandeur 
by low white palings running all round it, the 
domestic offices, stabling, etc., which gave it a 
cockneyfied af>pearance ; at least, so it seemed to 
me. But the back of the house was lovely — a lawn, 
sloping to thf, river Orw(:]] ; on the right a small 
park, and on the If-.ft the park and house of Sir 
Pliilijj Broke, the brave commander of the Shannon, 
who with that vessel took the American frigate the 
Chesapeake. The house was comfortable but old- 
fashioned, and I have spent some pleasant days 
there. But he soon after parted with this old 
family seat to his brother-in-law. Sir Robert 
Harland, and received in exchange a modern-built 
mansion called Wherstead Lodge, on the other side 

^ Edward, Admiral Vernon, was born in JO84, and died in 
1757. }fe capitulated J'ortobello in 1739. 



236 ELKRS MEMOIRS 

ol the C^Jrwoll, within two milos oi Ipswich. Sir 
RolxMi was, in t.un, disirosscd tor nionoy. Mr. 
\'oriK>n was vorv Ion*.! ot i;anu\ and W htMSU\ul 
coniprisct-l wood ani.1 land in a rin^ lonco ot upwards 
ot" 5.000 acres, whilo Orwoll Tark and llic laiul 
round it was hillo more than 400 acres. 

When Adniiral Wanon bought estates in Sutiolk, 
he purchased land wherever he could possibly i;et 
it, and he had small tarnis all o\er SutVolk ot' troni 
100 to 200 acres. He had vilso a Inie estate and 
house on the borders ot" Canibridgeshirc called 
Thurlow Hall. One day the Duke o\ Cambridge 
was at Sir Robert's shootiui^". and the IHike said: 
' It" 1 could alTord it I would buy W'herstead Lodi^e,' 
I believe that tirsi put it into the hcvid ot" John 
Vernon to exchange houses. As 1 said betore. Sir 
Robert was in want oi' ready money, and John 
\'ernon had none, but had many sm.dl larms 
scattered about with which he wishetl to part. He 
accordingly got ,{,So,ooo on mortgage, tor which he 
w.is to pay 5 pcv cent. This sum he gave Sir 
Robert, w ho w.is put into possession ot C^rwell T.u-k, 
whilst Mr. Vernon got Wherstead. Idiis was 
about 1S12. in the height oi' the w.u", when corn 
sold so high and estates let so well. 

In 1 81 5 the peace came; rents and the price of 
land tell. Vernon was paying 5 per cent, tor the 
money he borrowed, while his land lild not tetch 
him above 2 J per cent. Poor fellow ! he died in 
181 8; and, had he lived, he would doubtless have 



MR. ]()\\N Vi'.RNON 237 

])r.(:n ri v(;ry (Jistr(;ssf:d man. Iff: If;fl his estates to 
L.uly I farbind ff)r her Wfc, aixl aftftr her to his 
cousin, the presf.iil Sir Thomas Cuihjm, and aflf.r 
hiin, if hf. died without male issue, to his cousin, 
Mr. Jf.nkins. / witnessed his will, and old .Sir 
Thomas said to mf. : ' I am sorry to hf:ar you say 
that, for you have gf>t no leg^acy.' Poor Vernc>n 
was a I<ind-hc.arted man, fjut had no strong sense, 
ffe was easily K:d ;i.way, anrl fiad no opinion of his 
own, or if he had was easily marie to ^ive it up — 
that is, in some instances. ffe was \n:ry suspicious 
of Ijein^ cheated or im[)osed u[>on fjy his .sf:rvants ; 
it used to fjreal<i his heart when he .saw a j^reat 
leathern ' I>lacl< Jack,' as they call it in the cr^untry, 
jroin^ to the ljf:er cellar. ' C/od hless my soul !' he 
used to say, ' that ^reat " lilack Jack " is always on 
the roarl to the cellar and the .servants' hall, 'faylor.' 
'I'his was the name o^ his valet and butler, who 
came to him without a second coat a few years 
before, and when Vernf>n died had bouj^ht farms 
to thf; amount of /^lo.ooo. ffe j^ave him the key 
of his winf. cellar, which contained wine to the 
amount of /5,rjoo. f>ut f often Iieard Vernon was 
sorry he had ever done this. Vernon used to set 
his man to watch that he was not cheated out of a 
ju^ of ale by a poor labourer, whftn he was cheated 
of hundreds by this very ff^llow, or how could he 
have b(;en j)Os.sessed of the money whoTewith tr) buy 
the estates which he [jurchasf^d } Vernon always 
said to me: * It is better to be: clieated by one than 



:;S ELKRS MKMOIRS 

In inanv." Ho liitlo iluniglu the cxioni to which lie 
was pUuKlorod by tliat oiu\ 

Tho house at Whorsioad was a nuHlorn oiu\ 
The windows and doors woro all cm down lo llio 
ground, and looked upon a lawn inicrsporsod with 
tlowors and shrubs, surrounded with eo\ ers full ot 
oame and overlooking the river C^rwell. The 
pheasants and hares used to sport before tlie windows 
as we were at breaktViSt and dinner. The hall was 
light and elegant, and a flight of freestone steps on 
either side oi it led up to the bedroonis, the double 
doors o\ which were faced with scarlet cloth, and the 
wainscots and wall were wliite picked out with a 
verv light blue. There was a drawing-room hiled 
up lightlv and elegantly with a beautiful Indian 
paper, pier-glasses to the ground. Florence vases and 
female figures were placed on the stands opposite the 
pier-glasses. They were of the purest alabaster, and 
were retk^cted back from the mirrors. A dining-room 
was the next room to this, of exactly the same shape 
and dimensions. C'^xer the chimney-piece was a 
whole-length portrait of Adniiral X'ernon in the 
identical coloured coat that obtained for him the 
sobriquet of 'Old drog ' by his sailors. It was 
what in those days was called a grogram colour. 
He considered that the sailors' drinking raw spirits 
was prejudicial to their health, and insisted that their 
runi should be niixed two-thirds with water, which 
has gone bv the name of grog in the Navy ever 
after. There was also another portrait of him in the 



WIIKRSTEAD LODGE 239 

costume of a Turkish Admiral. These were the 
principal portraits in this room. There was a small 
rormi, called the Armoury, anrl heyf>nd lliat the 
lihrary, where Vernon and I used to din(- when by 
ourselves. Opposite the library was a sort of stat(- 
drawin^-room fitted up with a maroon pa[jer, very 
rich, with silk curtains to correspond and gold 
mouldings. This room was filled with fine old 
portraits of the resigns of William and Mary and 
Anne. Mr. Vernon's ancestor was Secretary of 
State to King William, and guided his hand in 
signing the Act of Settlement when he was dying. 
I lis uncle, General Vernon, left him a beautiful 
Venus by Titian, which was partly concealed by a 
green silk curtain. Vernon also had a bad copy of 
the Danae in his bedroom. I heard the late Sir 
William Rowley offer Vernon ;^ 1,500 for the Venus. 
Vernon, when he made his will, left about ^^20,000 
among his cousins; but the estate being strictly 
entailed, and there being no ready money to pay the 
legacies, the legatees have never benefited one six- 
pence by the bequest, lieyond this drawing-room 
was a commodious bath. 

So fond was Vernon of the preservation of his 
game that it must have cost him ;!^i,ooo a 
year. At his grand battues I have seen a hundred 
brace of pheasants killed, and fifty brace of 
hares, besides partridges, woodcocks, rabbits, etc. 
The Duke of Cambridge passed two or three days 
at Wherstead when I was staying there. He was 



:40 Kl.KRS MFMOIKS 

doHi^hted wiii^ iho sport, and as scxmi as lu^ tirod 
Ivnh barR'ls his German yi>^vr placed a tVt^sh Uwded 
gun ill his hands. 

rho Puko hakl a narrow escape et" beiiii^ shot bv 
an old Cietman l^aren et the iiamc^ et binseui^en. a 
favourite ot' all the Royal b\unily. lie was near 
eiv^hiv vears ot" a^^e and almost blind, lie was very 
careless, and aUwivs walked with his i;un cocked. 
We were all advancing in line to spring woodcocks. 
A woodcock got up close to tlu^ ^.uMua\U And tlew 
down the line. The General tired, and the bird tell 
dead at the leet of the Puke. ' Well done. ".•.": 
O^ fit'/ it/ .'' cried 1 1 . R. 1 1 . 



CHAPTER XV 

Brettenharn 1'a.rk—A disputed succession — Ixjrd Salisbury — I>ady 
Mary lieauclerk's flirtation — A supposed son of the Prince of 
Wales — ^^400 lost on one card — ' My lord ' for one day — 
A marriaj^e after six refusals — A billiard match — A Jacobean 
house — An accomplished woman— Kean the actor — Mrs. 
Keeley — Kerrison, 'the honest miller' — A martinet — A 
groom's tricks. 

Among thf: rnosl intimaU: friends of Vernon was 
Georj/e Wenyeve of lirettenham Park, about fifteen 
miles from ()rv,<:]] I-'ark. He was younger than 
Vernon, };ui they were both Eton boys, and George 
Wenyeve was fond of preserving and shooting, 
Wenyeve asked me to come over with Vernon and 
spend a fe.w days to shoot at Brettenham. A pair 
of posters were put to Vernon's carriage, and I sat 
on the box of the carriage. Going through Ipswich 
the box gave way, and I was thrown under the 
horses and my knee under the fore-wheel of the 
carriage. The boy pulled up directly he heard the 
crack of the spring, or I should have inevitably been 
killed ; as it was I could not get my leg from under 
the wheel till the boy backed the carriage. 

Brettenham was an old-fashioned house, a poor 
( 241 ] 16 



24^ 



ll.KKS Ml-MOIRS 



jxirk, and in a heavy counuy ; bui ii hvul boon in 
the famllv of tho Wonyovos from the linio ot" i\\c 
Saxons, and ihov woro. without any mistviko, ihc 
oldest family in tho oouniy of SutVolk. Cu\Mi;o ai 
this time ^^iSoo"* was about iwonty-nino. His oufft 
sister. Uonriotta. lived with him. and a natural 
sister, married to a Mr. Marrie. uKuia^ed his tarm tor 
him. and they lived all together. 

Mr. Marrie was a Lieutenant in the Marines, and 

picked up his wife at Yarnunith. Awd afterwards. 

durino- Cieorge's niinoriiv. managed the iMeiten- 

ham property for him. which. I believe. *.lid Uvn 

ej>:ceed ,^,"2,000 a year. Inii he had a good cellar 

of wine, very fine carp and tench in the old ponds. 

plenty of ganie, and the fmest peaches and nectarines 

I ever ate. So that a nvin would not be quite 

starved in vi week here. Poor licorge caught his 

death about two years alter th.u. We were out 

shooting one very hot day in September, and he 

threw himself under a tree very much heated, and 

lay there till the servants brought out lunchec^n from 

the house, lie caught a violent cold and ne.irly 

lost the use of his limbs, and died about iSiJ. The 

world thought, of course, that his sister, born like 

hiniself in wedlock, would have succeeded to the 

estate that had been in the family for centuries ; but 

a will was found by the Marries declaring thv\t he 

lelt the estvUe to be divided between the two sisters. 

Soon after her brothers death Miss \\ en\ eve 

married Colonel lohn Carnac. of the Life Guards. 



MK. IJ'.Vi'.SON Vi-.kNON 243 

who, Yirivln'j a t;istf; for law, dispuU:d thf; will. 1 
say having a tast^; for l;i.w, ;i', I havf; heard h^; was 
originally brought, ujj Uj that profession. The 
Colon';! ':rr)|jIoyf:d ;i. frif;nd of his and min':, a 
Mr. ]>ovf;tt, a h;i,rri%t/:r, but thf:y could make nothing 
of it ; nf;thing could shake the validity of the will, 
though the Colonel rnr^re than insinuated that the 
will was forged. 

Vernon one day took me down to some friends of 
his living at Aldborough, on the coast, a Mr. and 
Mrs. Prior Johnson. There we stayed some ten 
days. They had also a good house at a place called 
liosmere, about seven miles from Ipswich, on the 
road to Hury. This house they rented of Sir 
William Middleton. They were hospitable and 
amiable, and Johnson did the honours of his house 
in the most sujjerior way. While staying there 
Cord Salisl^ury gave a ball and sujjjjer. His lordship 
was very rlroll and entertaining, fond of telling stories 
and making you laugh. I also met at my friend 
Johnson's a Mr. J>:veson Vernon, brother to the 
celebrated Lady C^rosvenor. 1 fe was a great oddity. 
He lay in b':d all thf; day, and about eleven o'clock 
at night would commence his ?;z^r;«z;2^ calls, previous 
to fjeating u[; his covers and shooting at twelve 
o'clock at night. He had some good estates in the 
neighbourhood of Aldborough. There is no doubt 
my friend Vernon and he ^ were sprung originally 

^ Both descended from the Vernons of Haslingto.n : John 
Vernon in the male line, Ix-veson Vernon in the female. 

16—2 



244 ELERS MEMOIRS 

from the same ancestors, and as he had no heir, 
I have heard my friend John Vernon say he should 
not be surprised if one day he left him his estates. 
John had estates and good shooting near the town of 
Aldborough, called Knodgill, where we used to shoot. 
He had an old keeper there who had but one arm. 

In this neighbourhood, at Saxmundham, lived 
Mr. Dudley North, Lady Hyde Parker, Lady Sarah 
Bailey, and also the Crespignys of Aldborough ; so 
there was no want of society, and we formed many 
pleasant parties. About this time I recollect seeing 
Lady Mary Beauclerk,^ daughter of the Duke of 
St. Albans, at one of our balls at Ipswich. She 
was living at Lord Dysart's, at his seat at Helming- 
ham, and had a fortune of ^100,000. Lord Dysart 
had a corps of volunteers that used to be drilled in 
his park, and a little officer of the name of Saunders, 
a subaltern in the Derby Regiment of Militia, was 
sent over for that purpose. This little man, who 
looked very young, had a wife and two children. 
Lord Dysart asked him to dine at his table, and I 
am not certain but that he slept in the house. Lady 
Mary was quite young, not seventeen, when she 
used to walk with Saunders in the park and gave 
him every encouragement. But wishing to know 
as much of him as she could, she employed her maid, 
who got hold of a very material part of his history : 

1 She was daughter of the sixth Duke of St. Albans by his first 
wife, Miss Moses. He married, secondly, 1802, Louisa Grace, 
daughter of John Manners and Louisa, Countess of Dysart. 



A SON OF THE PRINCE 245 

that he was already married and had two children. 
This effectually put a stop to her flirtation. She 
afterwards, in 181 1, ran away with Lord Deerhurst. 
All the world knows how badly this match turned 
out, and Lord Deerhurst has no one to thank but 
himself 

When I was not with my friend Vernon I gener- 
ally lived a good deal with the loth. There was a 
nice handsome little man of the name of Captain 
Derby. He was the son of a niece of Lady Lade, 
and her sister was the Countess of Barrymore ;^ it 
was whispered that he was the son of the Prince of 
Wales. The Prince got him a writership in Bengal. 
Sir John Lade would not let him go. The writer- 
ship the Prince eventually gave to Mrs, Siddons' 
son, whom I saw at Calcutta. It is a very re- 
markable trait of the Prince that whenever he was 
fond of a man or took an interest in him, he was 
sure to get him sent abroad, perhaps to keep him out 
of mischief and temptation, and he (the Prince) con- 
fessed this to a friend of mine. Lieutenant-Colonel 
Palmer commanded the regiment. Lord Charles and 
Robert Manners were the two Majors. Quintin, 
Lord William Somerset, Goddard and Robarts, the 
banker's son, had troops. The handsome Count 
de Grammont, Bowen, Hon. Francis Stanhope, 
Williams, Fitzgerald, Simeon, etc., were subalterns. 

^ Lady Lade is described as ' Mrs. Smith ' before her marriage 
with Sir John Lade, of sporting celebrity. The Countess of 
Barrymore was Anne, daughter of Jeremiah Coghlan. 



246 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Of the /th Hussars I remember Kerrison, Denshire, 
Lovelace, Thornhill, Lumley, Probyn/ Waldegrave, 
Goodwin, etc. Of the 14th Dragoons were Felton 
Hervey, Major, and Colonel Talbot. Hervey lost 
an arm, and Talbot was killed in the Peninsula. Of 
the 1 6th Dragoons, Major Pelley, Lord Clinton and 
Belli Captains ; Lincoln Stanhope, a Major on the 
Staff with General Cotton, and various others I 
cannot recollect. I was on terms of intimacy with 
all of these whom I have named. We used to play 
billiards in the day and cards at night. The high 
players were Hervey, Lord Clinton, and Belli. The 
game was chiefly whist. 

I remember one night I was the partner of Lord 
Clinton, when I had only two cards remaining in my 
hand. The rubber depended on my playing the 
proper card. It was all a chance, and, unfortunately, 
I played the wrong one. It made a difference to 
Lord Clinton of ^400. He never scolded, only 
put his hand to his head. It was no fault of mine, 
for the chances were equal. I beg leave to explain 
that I was not playing for these high stakes, not 
more than guinea points ; quite high enough if you 
had a bad run. I recollect full well this night we 
played all night long, and until Lord Clinton's vis-d- 
vis came to the door of the White Horse Inn with 
four posters to take us the first stage to London. It 
was a dark morning in the month of November. 
His lordship and I mounted the box, and the snow 
^ Afterwards drove the Reading coach ! — Note by the Author. 



PLAYING THE LORD 247 

was on the ground. At Stratford the boy on the 
leaders fell, and had a narrow escape of being killed. 
His lordship's own horses were put to here to be 
driven by him, and as he was dressed exactly like a 
common coachman — drab coat, red plush waistcoat, 
and corduroy smalls — and I like a gentleman, it was 
agreed between us that I should play the lord, and I 
got ' my lorded ' all the way to Chelmsford, where 
the Honourable Captain Lygon, the present Earl 
Beauchamp, joined us at dinner. Here we slept, 
and got to Stephens's at four o'clock, where we all 
dined. There we saw Lincoln Stanhope, who gave 
us the news of his brother Fitz-Roy's^ marriage with 
Miss Wyndham, the daughter of my dear old friend 
Mrs. Hodges, I only stayed two days in town. 

About this time Mr. William Pole- was an Ensign 
in the Suffolk Regiment of Militia. I soon knew 
him, and became intimate with him from knowing 
his uncles. This young gentleman had just returned 
from Russia, and was sent as an Ensign into the 
Suffolks to keep him out of mischief. He was about 
twenty-one, very wild, but I did not think him half 
so clever then as he has since proved. At that time 
he had five hunters, some of which I used to ride. 
When his uncle went to Portugal he went on his 
staff, and was present at the Battle of Vimiera. 

1 The Hon. and Rev. Fitz-Roy Stanhope married Caroline, 
natural daughter of the Hon. Charles Wyndham. 

- The well-known ' William Pole Tylney Long Wellesley,' after- 
wards fourth Earl of Mornington, 



248 ELERS MEMOIRS 

He came home, and one day as he lay in bed he 
becfan to consider what he should do. He was in 
debt and ditiiculties. A sudden thouo;ht struck him. 
His mother was on terms of great intimacy with 
Lady Catherine Long, the mother of the rich heiress. 
He wrote to his mamma, and conjured her to do all 
in her power oi' putting" hini in Miss Long's company. 
He proposed six times and was refused. The Duke 
of Clarence at this time was besieging Miss Long, 
and to get rid of him she at last accepted Wellesley. 
He had fought a duel for her with Lord Kilworth, 
and that mic^ht have somewhat to do in his favour. 

Among the officers of the 7th Hussars was a 
Baron Schemedern ; he thought he could play at 
billiards, and o-ave me a challenoe. We agreed to 
play eleven games. I was backed to win, but I lost 
the first five games. The officers who had backed 
me all left the table, thinking- I must be beaten. 
But I won the six games running, and won my 
match and the ten guineas I was playing for. 
The Baron played another match, and lost that 
also. 

It was at i\Ir, \'ernon"s that 1 first met \'iscount 
Clermont, who came over to dine and shoot at a 
grand battue. I afterwards met him at a hawking- 
party with my old friend INIajor Wilson. Another 
very near neighbour oi' the Major's was John 
Merest, Esq., of Linford Hall, who married 
\'ernon's cousin, -Miss Jenkins. Merest had a fine 
estate in the Isle of Ely — good, rich land, which he 



SUFFOLK SOCIETY 249 

sold for ^100 an acre, and he bought Linford for 
about ^80,000, merely for the sporting. A great 
deal of the land was not worth half a crown an acre, 
being so very light. In fact, his ^So,ooo did not 
yield him more than 2 per cent., and hardly that 
He got into Parliament. Then he let his house to 
the Earl of Shannon, and, I believe, finally sold it, 
and has lost so much money that I understand he 
has become a clergyman. Fortunately he has no 
family. I won twenty guineas of him upon the 
famous battle between Crib and Molyneux. 

Another neighbour of Major Wilson's was Lord 
Mountjoy, afterwards Earl of Blessington. He 
rented Oxburgh, the seat of Sir Henry Bedingfield, 
of that old Catholic family. It was afterwards let 
to the Marquess of Ormonde. We had also at 
Northwold, within a mile. Admiral Manby, with his 
pretty little wife and their two lovely daughters. The 
Admiral was, or rather had been, very handsome, 
and his name was mixed up with that of the Princess 
of Wales among many others. A few years since 
one of the Miss Manbys married a Mr. Dawes, a 
nephew of the celebrated Madame Feucheres, who 
was suspected to have shortened the life of the 
Duke of Bourbon. 

Among the families at Ipswich from whom I 
received much kind attention was that of jNIr. Fon- 
nereau,^ of Christ Church Park. The Rev. Charles 

^ Rev. Charles William Fonnereau, born 1764. Lieutenant of 
the Conqueror under Admiral Rodney, 1782. I'ied 1840. 



250 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Fonnereau had been a Lieutenant in the Navy, and 
served in that rank in Lord Rodney's victory over 
the French in 1782. Christ Church Park is situated 
in the town of Ipswich. You enter the premises by 
a small gate for foot passengers into a garden, the 
path of which leads up to a large, old-fashioned 
red-brick house, of the architecture of James I. 
It is to me quite a pleasure to view this old family 
antiquity. You enter the house by a small porch ; 
on each side are worm-eaten wooden seats. There 
is a fine old hall, round which runs a gallery, both 
hall and gallery full of old portraits of the reign 
of Elizabeth and James. The house, like all the 
houses of that day, is low, and the rooms are 
generally small, and you have continually, in enter- 
ing the rooms, to go up and down a couple of 
steps. I have observed this at Burleigh and also at 
Helmingham. At the back of the house lies the 
park with deer, and avenues of very fine oak and 
elm trees. I do not know whether it is a favour 
granted by the proprietor or as a matter of right, 
but the inhabitants enter Mr. Fonnereau's grounds 
at any time and at all seasons, passing close to the 
mansion house on their way to the park, and on a 
fine summer's evening, and particularly of a Sunday, 
it is crowded like Kensington Gardens. 

From Colonel Stisted, of an old Suffolk family, 
I received much kind attention, as also from 
Admiral Page, who served in the East Indies, while 
I was there, in the Caroline frigate. There was 



KEAN AND MRS. KEELEY 251 

also a remarkably clever woman, the wife of a rich 
brewer of the name of Cobbold, who lived at the 
extremity of the town, at a place called The Cliff. 
She was a poetess, paintress, and a great patroness 
of talent and merit wherever she found it. And 
although she was not visited by the higher circles of 
the county, yet everyone knew her for her talents 
and respected her. She was very fond of patronizing 
the theatre, and all the profession that were de- 
serving of recognition, either from their character 
or their talents ; and here I met and dined with the 
celebrated tragedian Mr. Kean, who took me in his 
carriage to dinner with her and back to the theatre 
that evening, where he played Hamlet. We were 
both staying at the White Horse Inn. The 
present Mrs. Keeley, the clever actress, was brought 
up by Mrs. Cobbold. I recollect her as a little girl 
who used to come into the rooms, her arms and 
hands crossed over each other ; she would then drop 
a profound curtsey to the company, sit down on the 
music-stool, and commence her morning's lessons on 
the piano. Her father was an honest whitesmith in 
Ipswich of the name of Goward. I little thought 
that this shy little girl would have turned out such 
a clever actress. I have heard that her husband, 
Keeley, made his first appearance at the Surrey 
Theatre, and on his debut before the audience got 
so alarmed that he fairly ran off the stage, and did 
not appear any more that night. Mrs. Cobbold 
always gave a grand fete and supper on Valentine's 



252 I'l KRS MKMOIRS 

l\i\" (o all ihc vomi^ jH\tplo of Ipswich. 1 vc- 
nu'inbor niccliiig ihoro Major K.oirison, ot iho ^tli 
1 hissars. 

Major Korrlson was i\\c >o\\ o\ an honosi miller 
in Suttolk. \\c was inunonst^lv rich. Inn divsscd 
quite homely, and was ot simple manners ; he wore 
blue yarn stockings, thick shoes and silver buckles, 
cordurov smalls, a long waistcoat with flaps, and a 
drab coat. lie intended his son lo be brought u[i 
to his own iradr. but voung Kerrison would be a 
Pragoon. His father would not hear ot" it. At 
last young K. threatened to enlist, when some 
friends ot" his who took an interest in his welfare 
spoke very seriouslv to his father, and advised him 
to purchase a cornetcv tor his son. The old man 
was at last prevailed ujhmi. and a cornetcv was 
purchased in the 7lh Hussars, imder Lord Paget. 
Kerrison was universally beloved and respected by^ 
every bodv. He has j^roNed himself to be one oi' the 
best cavalrv otticers in the Service, has got a regi- 
ment, a baronetcy, an estate in Norf'i">lk of' no less 
than ,;{, 40.000 per annum all acquired bv his father, 
the honest miller — is the tather-ind.iw of two peers 
ot" the realm. ^ and is a member of" Parliament. 

A fViend of mine told me a \erv laughable story. 
One dav K.'s father wrote lo him to sav he would 
pay him a visit at Ipswich, where his regiment was 

^ The writer might have said /////«•' peers ot" the reahn." Sir 
Edward Kerrison's daugliters married respectively Lord Henniker, 
Lord Stanhope, and Lord Hatcman. 



SIk SAMUKL FLUDYER 253 

quartered. Poor Kerrison was ready to expire, for 
fear of being quizzed by the dasliing young officers 
of the 7th at his rich father's homely appearance. 
He t(Kjk flight and sought refuge at the house of 
my friend forty miles off, ^ind wrote to his father 
that he had gone away on duty. 

I remember we had a very pleasant [)arty staying 
with us at my friend Mr. Vernon's. Among the 
company was Sir Samuel Fludyer, whom I informed 
that I knew him when I was a very little hoy at 
Colonel Monckton's, at Fineshade Abbey, North- 
amptonshire. Sir Samuel said he lived on the 
borders of that county still, and in the same house 
ever since, and made me promise I would come 
down to Uffington House, which he rented for many 
years of the Duke of Ancaster, and afterwards of 
the Earl of Lindsey. It is within a short distance 
of Stamford, whither Sir Samuel sent his carriage 
to meet me. He was a staunch fox-hunter, and I 
used to go out with him with Lord Lonsdale's 
hounds. Lady V. was fond of playing battledore 
and shuttlecock, and we one day kept up the game 
upwards of on(' thousand without the shuttlecock 
falling to the ground, a feat I never before witnessed. 
Sir Samuel lived in very good style, and we went 
over to Mr. Tryon's at Bulwick Hall, where I 
thought of the days long since gone. I stayed three 
weeks with Sir Samuel, and then returned to my 
old quarters. The annual races in July never 
arrived, but I regretted the loss of my beautiful 



254 I'll- RS MKMOIRS 

lu'lipsc racing marc. 1 make nol ilu' smallest doulu 
1 should ha\o won iho Kiui^'s riaio. for iho horses in 
otMunal wcM'i^ nol \orv i;oo*.l. and wIumi a good one 
did come \\c was sure lo win. luniiHM-, I riMnombor, 
won {\\c Kinj^'s Plaio hero. Inii he was a tirst-nite 
horse. I had a ver\- tine and tasi-iroltinq- pony, 
what diey call a inie Sutlolk cob. When W'eddor- 
burne WebsliM^ won his ceUdirated match ol ridin^- 
on one horse from Ipswich lo W hilechapel Church. 
which is sixiv-nine miles, this litiK^ ponv accom- 
panied him tor tweniv miles, ridden bv Captain 
Perbv. ot" the loth. whose j>roperty he then was. 
\\\>bster piM't'ormed the distance within t'lve hours, 
and won a very lar^e sum — near ,;{. 2.000. 1 had at 
this time a bcauiitul grav mare lh.it 1 dro\"e in a 
bugoy — a very liij^hi one : she w.is also .1 most de- 
hi^htful saddlediorse. so extremely easy. She was 
all but thorouiihbred. .md would have made a com- 
plete lady's horse. 1 lost this delighit'ul .mimal by an 
accident soon after. I bought her of .1 Mr. Morant. 
ot the Somersetshin^ M ilili.i, tor the sm.iU sum o\ fortv 
ouiucMs. 1 le h.ul volunteered tor ihe 2olh KegimeiU. 
.md w.is soon .itier killed storming St. Seb.isti.m. 

About this time it was our ill-luck to have a general 
officer sent down lo Ipswich by the name oi' Achmd. 
He pretended to be a great m.iriinei, .md his great 
delight W.IS to m.ike everybody uncomlortable and 
miser.ible. under the pretence of zeal for His Majesty's 
St rvice. The poor unt'ortunate officers in command 
oi' rei:imenis were h.ir.issed lo de.uh bv this tyrant 



stowmakki<:t 255 

inspf.clin^ llicir account', and locjkin^ into tlif: m(;n's 
kiiajjsacks, ;i.ii(l ;'/>iii^( roiinfl llic. men's barracks, and 
j)okin^ his nrjsc. inio e.vf:ry liolf and cr^rn'tr, f:n- 
dcavf^iirln^ to discover somclhinj^ lo find faiill with, 
lie was iinivfirsally d(;t(;stf;d. [\\. Ikis Lime 1h; had 
nothing to do witli nift, as I was under the; command 
of th(; insj)ectin^^ fi'Id officer, Sir WiHiam Aylf:tt, 
(!arly in i<Sio, whic.h was ahoiit the time we were 
cursed with Iiis hate.d ]jres(;nce. 

Soon after this jjeriod I was ordered with my 
recruiting party to Stowmarket, distant from Ijjswich 
twelve miles, (ireat indeed was my regret at being 
banish(*d from all my gay friends at Ipswich. I had 
spent four years of tininlernipted jjleasure and liapjji- 
ness. These, fr^ur years were certainly the hapj>iest 
years of my life, taken alt(;gether. 'ilie only fjerson 
1 knew near Stowmarket was i<(;ger Pettiward, 
I'Lsq.,^ of I'inborough I'ark, a frif;nd (jf Mr. Vf^rnrm's. 
I took up my (juarters at the. King's IIe,ad, and all 
the amusement I now had was my two horses, a 
brace of jjointers, fishing in a stream of water, and 
amusing myself sometimes seeing the j)ost-horses 
changing on the road to and from liury. My friend 
Johnson lived about fcKir miles off, at Bosmere, and 
Sir William Middleton at Shrubland Hall, who gave 
me a day's shooting, a gfjod dinner, and a bed occa- 
sionally ; a Mr. Rust, the srjuire of the town, was 
also very civil t(; me, and was very intimate with 

' Koger Pettiward left his property in 1856 to a Mr. jolin 
liiissell, who assumed the name and arms of I'cttiward. 



256 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Sir John Shelley. \vho lived at Ciippino-. at a short 
distance. There was also an old lawyer, ot the 
name o\ Marrvot. who lived in a snuj^ house in the 
town. He also invited me to his house, and gave 
me leave to shoot all over his grounds. It is true 
they were not very extensive, but I contrived to pick 
up a brace of birds whenever 1 went out ; and the 
farmers all around gave me leave to sport. There 
used to be a market dinner every Thursday for all 
the respectable and substantial farmers in the 
neighbourhood, and I used sometimes to dine 
with them, aiul used to win their hearts by mixing 
now and then with them. I could stand everything 
but their smoking, and to that I had an unconquer- 
able aversion. 

I used also generally to ride into Ipsw'ich once or 
twice a week, sometimes sleeping there and at other 
times returning on the same night. When I was 
engaged this way the time passed pleasantly enough, 
but when it happened that I passed the day. and 
particularlv the evening", alone at the King's Head, 
I was quite cfinuyi'. Nothing to do. no books to 
read, only the daily papers in the travellers' room, 
redolent with smoke and the fumes o'i tobacco. I 
got quite weary oi this spiritless life, and asked for 
a month's leave of absence. I got it, and went up 
to London, taking with me my favourite mare and 
buggy, and a very nice young man as a servant. I 
had turned away my former servant a short time 
before. He was in the habit of taking my horses 



GROOMS' MISBEHAVIOUR 257 

out f:arly in ihc iiujriiing' before I was up, and riding 
them six miles off to a place called Grundisburgh, 
returning a little before nine to bring uf> my boots 
and hot water. The way I found this out was by 
going into the stable one morning before breakfast 
and finding a large, heavy horse bathed in sweat, the 
saddle not taken off, all over dirt and mire, smoking 
away. On that morning or the day afte.r h(t proved 
dead lai7i(! ; I was obliged tf; turn him out to grass 
for six months. The horse never got sound again, 
and I was obliged to sell him as a post-horse for 
^28. This horse had cost me fifty guineas a few 
weeks before he was lamed. 

My friend Vernon lost a little blood thoroughbred 
horse just about this time from the ill-usage of one 
of his grooms. He was found in the stable with his 
fetlock broken in two, and had to be destroyed. My 
friend Mr. Johnson was served the following trick by 
a groom. Bosmere, where he lived, was about 
sixteen or eighteen miles from Hury. Me and Mrs. 
Johnson went over in their carriage, and their groom 
rode a valuable thoroughbred horse got by Sorcerer. 
The groom returned with them, and had got nearly 
home when he missed his watch, which he had left 
at the inn by accident ; he turned back to the inn full 
gallop, and returned home, the horse dead lame, 
having gone thirty-six miles in a short time. Such 
were the tricks which in those days servants played 
their masters, and I dare say they are not, many of 
them, much better now. 

17 



CHAPTER XVI 

Young the tragedian — Kitty Stephens — A carriage accident — 
Dr. Andrews' suicide— Ordered to Maldon — Major Elers' 
death — Ill-luck in promotion — Maria Edgeworth — Sends in 
his resignation — His engagement broken off — A blessing in 
disguise. 

I ARRIVED in town on the third day of my journey, 
and put up at the New Hummums, Covent Garden. 
At this time I was rather intimate with Mr. Charles 
Young, the justly celebrated tragedian. I used to 
drive him out, and he was quite delighted with the 
beauty of my mare and her great spirit, combined 
with great gentleness. Mr. Young at this time was a 
perfect enthusiast in music, and used to accompany 
himself on the piano and to sing Moore's melodies 
charmingly. He had not much power in the upper 
part of his voice, but the lower was deep and round, 
and by singing with exquisite feeling- he effected a 
great deal more than many professional singers with 
greater powers of voice. 

I used about this time to meet Miss Stephens, 
who visited his mother. She had just made her 
great impression on the town as Polly in the 
' Beggar's Opera.' I have heard Mrs. Young say : 

[ -58 ] 



KITTY STEPHENS 259 

' Who would ever have thought that Kitty Stephens, 
who I recollect used to carry a pint of porter 
and cold meat for her father's dinner through the 
streets, should arrive at such fame and renown 
as a singer ?' Miss Stephens* father was at first a 
carpenter, and lived in some obscure place in the 
vicinity of Lambeth. Lanza the music-master first 
taught her to sing, but could make nothing of her. 
Mr. Thomas Welsh afterwards took her under his 
care, and made her the great singer she afterwards 
became. On her first coming out I met the master 
and his pupil in Long Acre, going to or returning 
from Covent Garden Theatre. He introduced me 
to her, and I thought her then a very plain young 
woman. I after used to meet her at Mrs. Young's, 
who lived with her son Charles in Duchess Street, 
Portland Place, just opposite her master, Mr. Welsh. 
Great pains must have been taken with the 
education of Miss Stephens after her debut at 
Covent Garden, for she has the most pleasing, lady- 
like manners, and her handwriting (a great test of 
the gentlewoman) is excellent. I had a relation of 
my own so much smitten with her charms that he 
made her an offer of marriage ; and I have in 
my possession her answer refusing him, but in the 
kindest and most amiable terms. My cousin was 
always on great terms of friendship with her and her 
brother, and they both spent some short time with 
him at his house in Northamptonshire, a very short 
time previous to his sudden death. As my cousin's 

17 — 2 



26o ELERS MEMOIRS 

representativ^e, I received a very friendly answer 
from her to a letter of mine. I requested her to 
mention whether I could send her anything of his 
that she would like to have in remembrance of him. 
She only asked for any book of his of little value. 
I sent her a small set of plays from his library. 
Miss Stephens used to live with her brother and her 
niece, Miss Johnson, in a small house in Connaught 
Terrace. She has ever borne an irreproachable 
name, and has lately married the Earl of Essex, 
who has for many years been much attached to her, 
and who, on the death of his wife early this spring 
(1838), shortly afterwards made her his Countess, 
with a settlement equal to her rank. And long may 
she live to enjoy it.^ 

I had the misfortune soon after my arrival in town 
to meet with a very severe accident, in August, 181 1. 
I had dined with two ladies at Barnes, the daughter 
and granddaughter of my dear old friend Mrs. 
Streatfield. The weather had been very sultry all 
day, and as I entered Park Lane it rained in tor- 
rents, with thunder and lightning, and dark as pitch. 
This irritated my mare, and made her very impatient 
to get home. The West Middlesex Waterworks 
Company had taken up the centre of Oxford Street 
near the Park, leaving a deep excavation and the 
ground thrown up on each side. There was a 
temporary rail thrown up, but the lanthorns were all 
blown out by the tempest, so that it was impossible 
^ She died February 22, 1882, aged eighty-seven. 



A CARRIAGE ACCIDENT 261 

to see your hand before you. I had proceeded 
about twenty yards down the street, when my off- 
wheel was raised upon the mound of earth. The 
mare suddenly dashed forward, the gig turned over, 
and I was pitched on to the pavement over my 
servant's shoulder. He was very lucky to escape 
with a slight hurt, but I had dislocated my right 
shoulder, and was cut severely about the face. The 
shafts having broken, the mare ran away at full 
speed for about 150 yards, when she was stopped 
by a groom, who had happened to be crossing the 
road, but not sufficiently arrested in her progress 
to prevent her, on meeting with some iron rails, 
attempting leaping over them. This she tried to do, 
and the spikes entered her chest. When, after a 
minute or two, I had recovered from the shock, I 
ran after my mare. I saw her lying motionless 
and bleeding, and seeing there was no hope, and 
to put her out of pain, I ordered her instantly to 
be destroyed. 

On returning back to the spot where the gig 
lay broken to pieces, I found I could not raise 
my right arm, and having been taken into a 
surgeon's close by, they discovered on examination 
that my shoulder was dislocated. It was very soon 
put in, and the accident having taken place so 
recently it had not had time to swell, and the pain 
was not very great, but quite enough. I afterwards 
walked to Stratford Place, whence a gendeman's 
carriage took me to Covent Garden, 



262 I'XKKS MKMcMRS 

T\\c \\c\i d.w vcrv oarly in tin- mornino' 1 sent 
a moss.ii^i^ to Ch.ulcs Nouml; to icW him oi my 
accidotu. .IS I was iMii^ai;t\l to d'u\c witli him lo im^ot 
a musical partv at his hoiisc\ he ha\ iuj; iiivitod 
l>raham, Miss Stt^pluMis. and son laal oduMS on 
purposo to i;i\o mo a musical treat. At about nino 
o clock in the ntornini^ \ ouui^ came down lo see mo, 
and when ho arri\ i\l 1 was not dressed or washed 
after the accident, but was covtM-ed witli blood. 
Yoimo did not sav a word, but tOv>k i^tt his coat and 
tuckc\l up his shirt-sleeves. orderi\l hot water, towels. 
sponi;es. «.nc.. and i;ot me cleait linen on. and made 
me as comtortable as 1 could well 1h\ lie then 
broui^ht me a Or. Andrews, a cU'\er man. a triend 
o\ his. and who was the medical m.m attached to 
both the theatrcV'^. to see me. 1 was under his care 
for about three weeks, when I went to iMiL^hlon. 
nearly recovered trom m\' wounds, and L;etling 
bettiM- ot the ettects itf the dislocation. Pr. Andrews 
would not hear ot' any pecuniarv recompense. This 
excellent, kind-hearted man atterwards oave up all 
his theatrical practice to live with Mr. .md Mrs. 
Coutts as their physician, and he there lost his 
health by Mr. C\nitls, who was so old and so chillv, 
having his rooms kept up lo eighty dt^i^rees of heat. 
He got leave to go down to Hrighlon tor I'/.v u'tr^' 
Oft/v. He stayed one or two days over the time, 
and on knocking at Mrs. Coutts' door in Stratton 
Street, the servant told him Mrs. Coutts had no 
t'lnther occasion tor his services. Toor Auilrews 



MAJOR KLKRS" DEATH 263 

went home anrl (]'-.stroyed himself. Mrs, Coutts' 
feelings coulfl not havf. been envied ! 

On my relurii from lirir^htoii I procfteded to 
Stcjwmarket, whf.n I found my [>;i.rty w(':re ordered 
to Maldrjn I>arr;ir;ks in T^ssex. To that plaee I 
repaired early in September, j8ii. Hitherto my 
military life had been one unvarif^d scene of pleasure 
and comfort, and I now look back with pride and 
satisfaction upon thf: fact that I was esteemed by all 
the commanding officers I had ever served under, 
and nc.vcr fot the slicrhtest censure from the Iforse 
Guards in all my various corresfjondence and com- 
munications with them. From the hour I set foot 
in Maldfjn iiarracks until the day I left it, sometime 
in January or heljruary, 181 2, my life was rendered 
miserable. There were nr;w stationed at the depot, 
besides tlie 12th, about onf, lumdred men, detach- 
ments of the following corps, viz., i6th, 17th, 24th, 
the strength of which cor[js were nearly equal to 
mine. I was at this fiorrid hole (Maldon) when I 
received the accounts of my poor brother's death 
in Spain, where he dif/1 o^ a fever aggravated by 
fatigue and worn out by his arrluous duty, l-or the 
last six weeks of his life he never slept under cover. 
His constitution gave way under the fever, which 
was originally caught at Walcheren. lie breathed 
his last in a waggon with General Drummond at 
Celerico, and he was so much honoured and 
respected by the 43rd Regiment, and was con- 
sidered so good an officer, that the regiment wore 



264 ELERS MEMOIRS 

mourning for three successive days ; and this is a 
very unusual compliment to be paid to any officer, 
particularly when officers are dying in the regiment 
every month or two on actual and arduous service. 

It was at this period, the autumn of 181 1, that 
my regiment was stationed at Mauritius, and Captain 
Forsteen, the eldest Captain of my regiment, obtained 
a majority without purchase in one of the West 
India Regiments. This made me the senior Captain 
in the 12th Regiment, and very soon after this it 
was given out from the Horse Guards that a 
2nd Battalion was immediately to be raised for the 
1 2th Regiment. All my friends congratulated me 
on the certainty that I should become the oldest 
Major of the 2nd Battalion, having also served near 
ten years in the rank of Captain, when, to my great 
mortification, only one-half of the promotions took 
place that we anticipated — that is, one Major, five 
companies, and so in the same proportion with the 
subaltern ranks until the reo-iment had received from 
the militia or other sources 500 men, which did not 
take place until the September following, in 18 12. 
There was at that time a reo-ulation of the Duke ot 
York's that all officers, on being promoted into other 
corps, should positively join their regiments where- 
ever stationed, and Major Forsteen made a show of 
going to Portsmouth with the understanding that he 
would not embark for the West Indies. You may 
judge of the surprise and disappointment I felt when 
I saw the Gazette that announced him the senior 



A MARTINET 265 

Major of the 2nd Battalion of the 12th Regiment. 
I could scarcely believe what I read. To add to my 
ill-luck, I lost my venerable old Colonel, General 
William Picton ; and Sir Charles Hastings,^ a 
natural son of the late Earl of Huntingdon, was 
appointed Colonel of the 12th. We also got an 
Irishman as a Lieutenant-Colonel, who directly 
joined at Maldon, and superseded me in the 
command, which I was not sorry for ; for the returns 
and signatures of the commanding officers, both by 
the week, fortnight, and month, were so numerous, 
and the responsibility of their correctness so great 
(and we had no assistance, neither Quartermaster 
nor Adjutant), that I was very glad to be super- 
seded in the command. 

Lieutenant- Colonel Stirke was about fifty years of 
age, and by birth an Irishman. He had risen to the 
rank of Major in the West India Regiments, and 
had seen but very little active service. He was a 
very indifferent regimental officer with respect to 
drilling or manoeuvring the regiment, but he was a 
very good pen-and-ink man with respect to all the 
interior details of a reoiment. We soon found him 
a very unpleasant commanding officer, and I, who 
had all my life been accustomed to be commanded 
by perfect gentle'tnen as well as good soldiers, found a 

^ Sir Charles Hastings, created a baronet 1806, married Parnell 
daughter and heiress of Thomas Abney, of Willesley Hall, County 
Derby. His son, Sir Charles Abney Hastings, left his estates to 
the late Countess of Loudoun. 



266 ELERS MEMOIRS 

remarkable contrast in Lieutenant-Colonel Stirke. 
The officers of West India Regiments were in 
general in those days a very queer set, and certainly 
Colonel Stirke was not an exception. But of all 
our misfortunes the greatest was that of having that 
brute Brigadier-General Acland stationed at Chelms- 
ford, about eight miles from us. He kept an orderly 
Dragoon, who was continually galloping backwards 
and forwards with reports and returns. He very 
often paid us visits of inspection, and his way of 
conducting himself was extremely similar to that 
pursued some years before by General Whitelock 
at Portsmouth, who was afterwards broke for 
cowardice. 

At this time I had formed an attachment to a very 
lovely and amiable young lady who was on a visit in 
Essex, about twenty-five miles from Maldon. I had 
obtained the permission of General Acland to visit 
this young lady and her friends for a couple of days. 
He knew the errand I was gone on, and as soon as 
he ascertained that I had left Maldon Barracks, he 
sent an orderly Dragoon after me with orders to 
return after I had been there a couple of hours and 
just as I was sitting down to dinner. The pretence 
was some trifling error in a meat return. Similar 
instances of tyranny were of daily occurrence. 
Wearied out by all this, I wrote to the Horse Guards 
for leave to visit London, determined never to come 
back again. That I had made up my mind to. My 
object was to obtain permission of Sir Charles 



MARIA EDGEWORTH 267 

Hastings to join the ist Battalion at Mauritius. He 
would not listen to my wishes. The Marquess of 
Hastings was at this time going to India as Governor- 
General and Commander-in-Chief. 

A short time previous to this my cousin, Maria 
Edgeworth, who was on terms of the greatest friend- 
ship with the venerable Countess of Moira, who used 
to call her ' cousin ' from her grandmother being a 
Hungerford, wrote to me and enclosed one of Lady 
Moira's letters to her, wherein her ladyship offered 
to forward the interest of my poor brother the Major 
on account of his descent from that family, she en- 
joying several baronies of that family from a marriage 
that took place in 1482 with Lord Hastings. I 
wrote to my cousin telling her of my brother's death, 
and the great desire I had to go out to India upon 
the staff of the Marquess of Hastings, and that she 
must, of course, feel less embarrassment in making 
this application to Lady Moira as she had so lately 
inclosed me her ladyship's letter offering to forward 
the interest of any of her family. I felt certain of 
my success, when to my great mortification my uncle, 
Mr. Edgeworth, would not suffer the application to 
be made to her ladyship. 

The mother of the young lady to whom I was 
paying my addresses had an insuperable objection to 
my profession, as well as to the smallness of my 
fortune ; and as I had determined I never would join 
the depot at Maldon again, and not being able to 
obtain the Colonel of the reofiment's leave to 



268 EI.ERS MEMOIRS 

proceed to India (much as I detested the destina- 
tion, anything — death itself — being preferable to re- 
turnino- to Maldon), in a fit of despair I was mad 
enough to send in my resignation of the Service to 
the Horse Guards. The Duke of York expressed 
his surprise, and held it back for three weeks to giv^e 
me the opportunity oi' thinking better of it. I had 
none of my military friends of rank to consult with 
or to whom I could explain my situation. General 
Harcourt was in the \W^st Indies and Sir Thomas 
Picton was in Spain. My fate was decided, and 
after having served sixteen years and purchased two 
ot my commissions out oi' the three, I received only 
/,'i,ioo tor them. Not having served twenty years, 
I coukl not sell the ensigncy, the regulation price 
being ^:/*400. 

I have already observed that one of the great 
objections the young lady's mamma had to my 
marriage with her daughter was my profession, and 
my being, of course, liable to be sent abroad, thereby 
separating her from her daughter. To my great 
surprise, having quitted the Service, one great im- 
pediment being removed, she then urged the objec- 
tion that I was now without any profession. In 
short, nothing could be more vacillating and un- 
determined than the old lady was in this business. 
I offered to settle half my little fortune upon the 
lady — /^.^,ooo out of the £6,000 which was all I had, 
together with every shilling her daughter possessed. 
All would not do, and the match was declared off. 



ENGAGEMENT BROKEN OFF 269 

A more amiable girl could not possibly exist than 
the young lady the object of my affections, and she 
behaved throughout this unfortunate business with 
the most devoted attachment to me, and was ready 
to make the greatest sacrifices. I firmly believe, 
such is the goodness of Providence, that everything 
in the end is for the best. I found out afterwards 
that there was decided insanity in her family. One 
of her sisters destroyed herself, and two of her 
children are at this instant confined in a private mad- 
house. The young lady herself married a clergyman, 
and I have heard died raving mad during one of her 
confinements. All this misery I escaped. 



CORRI-SPONOHNCK 

Col. Wclh-shy io L\ipi. Elcn, i2ih Rc-gimnii. 

Bancalokk. .\\\-r. 19M, 1801. 

Dear Ellhks. 

1 have received your letter of the 11th instant. I 
liave as yet received no answer to my appHcation to 
Mr. North in your favour, and I ratlier beHe\e. from 
circumstances which have occurred lately, that the 
Commander-in-Chief in India, and not the Govr. of 
Ceylon, will have the Patronage of the Malay regts. 
You should lose no time, therefore, in endcvivouring to 
prevail upon Col. Harcourt to apply in your favour to 
Genl. Lake. 

I heard from Col. Harcourt lately. He was with the 
Governor-General and at Patna. 
Believe me. 

Yours most sincerelw 

AKruiK Welleslev. 
Lr. Ellers. 

Xkvaoa, Avr. ::,/, iSii. 
De.\k Sik. 

1 received by the last Post your letter of 
18th October. I am concerned that I cannot apply for 
the Promotion of any Officer that does not belong to this 
Army, or who has not distinguished himself under my 
command in other Countries in such a manner as to give 

[ -Vo ] 



tok kkspondencp: 27 1 

hirn, in rny opinion, a ol;i.irn upon tho Sf^rvic; which I can 
brin'j forward with hopes of success. 
i!^ver, Dear Sir, 

Yours most faithfully, 

WlJJ.INGTON. 
Cap'in. K/.kks, 

1 2th I'oot, Middlex Barracks, Essex. 

The above letter I received from the Marrjuess of 
Wellington in Spain in i8ii, I did not belong to his 
arnny, and therefore could not distinguish rnyself. And in 
India, when he did command an arrny against Scindiah, I 
was with my Kegt. to the Southward, many hundred rniles 
from him. 

Gfc.0. Elers. 

Letter of Hh Grace the J Juke of IVellington to me, G. li. 

London, .sv/y/. 7, i'62'j. 

The Duke of Wellington presents his Compliments 
to Mr. Elers and has received his Letter. 

As the Commanding Officer of the 43rd Kegt. was not 
recommended for a Medal for the Jiattle of P'uentes 
d'Honor at the Period of the Battle, the Duke cannot 
now recommend that one should be granted to the 
Executors of Major Hungerford Elers who is dead. 

Can anything be more unjust than this decision ? The 
Duke of Wellington or the Commander-in-Chief, H.K.H. 
the Duke of York, pjublished a General Order to the 
effect that Officers commanding Regiments in a General 
Action should be entitled to receive Medals in honor of it. 
And that in case of their decease, their Heirs or Repre- 
sentatives were to receive them. 

Major Elers commanded the 43rd Regiment at the 
Battle of Fuentes d'Honor, which took place in May. 
He died early in August following. It is very likely the 
Order conferring Medals was not given out at that earl)' 
period of the War. 



272 ELERS MEMOIRS 

However that fact may be, my brother never received 
the distinction. Ten years since I met Colonel William 
Napier in the Park, and I asked him who commanded the 
43rd Regiment at the Battle of Fuentes (Colonel N. at 
that time was a Captain in that Regiment). He imme- 
diately replied : * Your brother commanded it, and very 
well and gallantly, for I saw him.' I then said : ' My 
brother never received the honorary Medal.' Napier said: 
* But you have got it.' I said : * No, for I was ignorant 
of the fact.' Napier then said : ' Write directly to Lord 
Fit2-Roy Somerset and mention my name. I will under- 
take to vouch to the fact.' I did so, and did not receive a 
satisfactory Answer. I wrote instantly to the Duke of 
Wellington. And the enclosed was the Answer I 
received ! 

In early life I received many kind attentions from the 
Duke of Wellington. I loved him then as a friend, I 
honour and revere him now as the greatest man England 
ever had at the head of her Army. Yet even the Duke 
has enemies. They would be but too happy to get hold 
of this anecdote. But I regard him too sincerely, and can 
only recollect him as the friend of my youth. 

Geo. Elers. 

My letter to the Duke of Wellington, enclosing one of his 
addressed to me when Arthur Wellesley ! Can this Man 
Jiave a Heart ! ! 

February, 1828. 

Impressed with sentiments of the most profound 
respect, I most earnestly request your Grace's attention 
to the following statement : 

In the year 1801 at Cannanore in the East Indies I 
had the distinguished honour of receiving an invitation 
from you to accompany you to Seringapatam, to which 
station my Regt. was on the point of proceeding, and for 
three months I had the distinguished honour of constantly 




UA..10TI HUNGERFORD RICHARD ELERS 



CORRESPONDENCE 273 

sitting on your left hand at Your Grace's table. Finally, 
on my Regt. quitting Seringapatam for Trichinopoly, 
Your Grace most kindly wrote to Mr. North, the Governor 
of Ceylon, to procure me a Company in one of the Corps 
on the point of being raised on that Island. The inclosed 
letter, which you did me the honour of writing, will 
explain the reason I never benefited by your kindness. 

I subsequently purchased a Company in the 12th Regt., 
and in the year 1812, having served sixteen years, I was 
obliged from the situation of my private affairs (though 
not in a pecuniary point of view) to relinquish the service. 
I received only the regulated price of those Commissions 
I purchased ; not having served the prescribed term, I was 
debarred receiving the price of the Ensigncy. 

In the Year 181 1 I had the misfortune to lose my 
brother, Major Elers of the 43rd Regt. He died serving 
with the Army under Your Grace's Command in Spain, 
after a service of Twenty Years in that Regt., accompany- 
ing it in all its various services and never absent from it. 
From his unfortunate death the values of those Commis- 
sions are lost to me as his representative. 

Under the circumstances I have already had the honour 
of detailing, I humbly throw myself upon Your Grace's 
protection. And though I am perfectlj' sensible of my 
own demerits and the superior claims of the many brave 
men who have had the good fortune to have served so 
many years under Your Grace, yet still I respectfully 
submit, if I was worthy of your kind patronage so many 
years since (and I have the satisfaction to reflect I have 
done nothing to forfeit it in the intermediate time), and as 
in those days your power was not equal to }our kind 
intentions, may I not therefore cherish the hope to 
receive your patronage now that you are so deservedly 
placed, by your transcendent talents, the first Subject in 
the State ? 

All I ask is employment, and I would accept with 

18 



274 ELERS MEMOIRS 

gratitude any situation Your Grace would be pleased to 
confer upon me. 

As the enclosed letter is the only memorial I have of 
your past kindness, and as I have for twenty-six years 
constantly preserved it, I should consider myself obliged 
by its being returned. 

I have the honour to remain, My Lord Duke, with the 
greatest respect, 

Your Grace's most Obedient and Obliged Servt., 

Geo. Elers, 

Late Senior Capt. I2th Regt. 
His Grace the Duke of Wellington, K.G., etc, 

London, Feb. 28, 1288. 

The Duke of Wellington presents his Compliments 
to Mr. Elers, and begs leave to acknowledge the Receipt 
of his letter of this day. 

The Duke returns the inclosure, and regrets very much 
that he has it not in his Power to be of any service to 
him. 

London, /«;/6 28, 1836. 

The Duke of Wellington presents his Compliments to 
Mr. Elers, and is much obliged to him for his Letter of 
this day. 

The Duke has no occasion for a Newfoundland Dog, 
and will not deprive Mr. Elers of him.^ 

^ This note is a reply to a letter addressed to the Uuke by Captain 
Elers, who had accepted the position of residuary legatee to a relative, 
the Rev. Thomas Speidell, Rector of Crick, Northamptonshire. Upon 
the death of that gentleman in 1836 Captain Elers experienced a 
grave disappointment, as his prospects of succeeding to a substantial 
inheritance gradually faded away as the number of debts payable out 
of Mr. Speidell's estate accumulated. Captain Elers was at a great 
loss to know what to do with a large Newfoundland dog which had 
belonged to Mr. Speidell. He first tried to get a lady who had jilted 
Mr. Speidell to take it, but she refused, although with many becoming 



CORRESPONDENCE 275 

The Writer of this killed in a Duel the best and dearest friend 
I ever had — Henry Hervey Aston, the bosom friend of the 
Duke of Wellington, whose untimely death caused the Tears 
to flow from the eyes of the Prince of Wales, afterwards 
George IV. — Geo. Elers. 

Tanjore, i2/'/zy«/j/[i798]. 
My dear Sir, 

I have directed your letter as you desired, and 
your boy will give you the Post Office Chit.^ I have also 
directed my Servant to inform your boy how to prepare 
the salubrious draft ; if he shd. err, do not lay your being 
poisoned to my door. 

Pray do not sell your horse ; report says we shall be 
under canvas almost immediately — Tippoo in the field, 
etc. In haste, with best regards to all the boys. 

Believe me, 

Yours very truly, 

G. Allen. 

The only letter I have of my dear Mrs. Aston' s, Widow of my 
ever dear Hervey Aston. She was one of the great 
Heiresses of Viscount Irvin and Sister of The Marchioness 
of Hertford, Lady Wni. Gordon, Lady Ramsden, and 
Mrs. Meynell. 

Templenewsam, near Leeds, Yorkshire, 

June ye i^th. 

Mrs. Aston returns Captain Elers many thanks for 
his very obliging letter, which she only received this 
morning. 



expressions of regret, on the ground that her premises were unsuitable 
and that her gardener refused to be responsible for the animal. 
Thereupon Captain Elers vainly endeavoured to induce the Duke to 
accept it. There is no trace of what became of the dog after the 
Duke's refusal to adopt it. — Ed. 
1 Chit=letter.— Ed. 

18—2 



276 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Some years ago Lady Powis obtained a drawing of the 
Monument for Mrs. Aston, but if Captain Elers will allow 
her to have a copy of the drawint;- he has taken, Mrs. A. 
will feel infinitely obliged to him. 

The next time Mrs. Aston goes to Town she shall hope 
to have the pleasure of seeing Captain Elers, and intro- 
ducing the children of his lamented friend to him. 

From my dear friend Genl. Harcourt. I sensed on his Staff. 
He teas Secretary to the Marquess Wellesley in India and 
high in his Confidence. — Geo. Elers. 

Benares, ^fani^ 14, 1802. 

My dear Elers, 

I have received your various favours, and was most 
obliged by them. 

My letter to Picton informs him of an event as unex- 
pected as it is honourable to me : I am charged with Lord 
Wellesley's confidential dispatches to England, and which 
long ere this reaches your hands I shall be bearing toward 
that happy land ; ni)- stay will not exceed a fortnight or 
three weeks in England, when I shall return hither without 
fail — I must do so — therefore do not say, * / shall never come 
back." I will write to you from Calcutta, for which place I 
set out this evening by Dawke [dak],^ and shall reach it in 
five days. 

I cannot on this occasion omit assuring you of the 
happiness I shall feel on again seeing you. I am a fellow 
of few words on these occasions, but I thank my God that 
he has given me a heart to cherish the feeling of Friend- 
ship. God bless you. 

Ever yours most faithfully, 

G. Hakcourt. 

Lt. Elers, 12th Foot. 



^ Dak=post.— Ed. 



COKRESi^ONlJENCE 277 

Edceworjh Town, /any. 2^^, 18&8. 

Your affectionate letter and entertaining history pleased 
and interested all this family very much, my dear 
Cousin ; and I thank you for the trouble you took in 
writing it to me. My father desires me to tell you, that 
he thinks it a most favourable omen in a young man's 
character that he should desire to keep up relationships, 
and he begs that you will impress this idea of your 
character on his mind by your actions, as well as by your 
letters, by making your uncle's house your home whenever 
you visit Ireland. Let me add that, besides your uncle 
and your cousin Maria, you have an aunt here, who is very 
desirous to see you, and whose esteem and regard you will, 
I am persuaded, desire to obtain as soon as you are 
acquainted with her. You have a number of cousins here 
of all sizes, and of all ages, from my age to two year old. 
I will not describe them to you, because I hope you will 
soon come and judge of them for yourself. You will find 
this a very cheerful family, and a hospitable house, where 
I hope some of the kindness may be returned to you 
which so many of us have received in your house, from my 
uncle and aunt Elers. I am sure for my own part I have 
a very full and grateful recollection of their goodness to 
me when I was very ill, and when I must have been often 
a great inconvenience and trouble to them. 
I am, my dear Cousin, 

Your sincerely affectionate 

Makia Edgewokth. 

Captn. Elers, 

12 Regt. Foot, Ipswich, Suffolk, England. 



Edgeworth Town, July loth, 181 1. 

My dear Cousin, 

I am much obliged to you for your affectionate 
letter, and for your full account of yourself and your 
brothers. I am much gratified by the kind things you 



278 ELERS MEMOIRS 

say of my books, and very glad should I bo that my name 
could be of either pleasure or advantage to you. 

Vou mentioi\ my cousin. HuntitrforJ Elers. I am glad 
that the name Hungerford is preserved in the family. Do 
you know that by the Hungerfords we have the honour 
to be related to the Moira family ? The late excellent, 
admirable L;idy Moira (mother to Lord Moira^ had 
among eight barons' titles which she held in her own right 
that of Hungerford, and she signed herself E, Hastings- 
HMM^vr/en/- Moira. She for many years did me the 
honour to call me her fricnJ. and a high honour I thought 
it, not from her rank and titles, but from her merit. She 
was so good [as] to claim relationship with me. When I 
reed, your letter I wrote to Lady Granard (^hor daughter 
and Lord Moira "s sister^ and mentioned my cousin 
Hungerford Elers to her in hopes that at some time or 
other the name might be of use to him. 1 send you Lady 
Granard's answer. You must not let it out of your own 
hands, and return it to me by the tirst frank you get. 
All that relates to your brother is in the second page. 
The rest relates to a Mrs. Rawdon. who was a friend of 
my great-grandfather Edgeworth.^ of whom we have MS. 
Memoirs. 

My father wishes to know whether you have any of the 
old pictures that used to be at Black Borton — particularly 
a picture of Mrs. Hungerford and a picture of a baptism 
of your great-grandfather Elers with the Elector of Metz 
standing Godfather. And have you a bow and arrows 
and a pair of pointed shoes with chains for the knees 
which belonged to Sir Edward Hungerford ? Of him also 
there was a picture in the hLill at Black Borton and 
several pieces of armour. 1 N\ish I could have any one of 
these pictures copied. Have you any notes or Manu- 
scripts of my grandfather Elers ? My father has some 

^ Colonel Francis Edgeworth. (See ' MemoifS of RicluiRi Lovell 
Edsreworth."^ 



CORRKSPONDKNCK 279 

which he wrote for him when at Ojllef^e, and which are 
excellent. 

What are become of all the old pictures the Mrs. Blakes 
used to have ? 

As you are so j^'ood to take an interest about my works, 
let me be?,' that you will take the trouble to deny my being 
the author of the ' Match Girl,' or of ' Tales of Real Life,' 
which I hear somebody has pubHshed in the name of 
Mrs. or Miss Edge worth. There is also a person who 
takes the name of Theodore ]£dgeworth, and published the 
'Shipwreck.' We know nothing of it or 0/ /n'w. All our 
works are published by Johnson. 

I send you an Epigram of my father's upon certain 
fashionable Scotch marriages and divorces. The lines 
have been attributed in England to Sheridan, and have 
been sent as Sheridan's by different people back from 
England to Ireland. My father thinks it a high honour 
to have anything of his writing attributed to so accom- 
plished and witty a writer : 

'To ready Scotland boys and girls are carried 
liefore their time, impatient to be married. 
Soon wiser grown the selfsame road they run 
In eager haste to get the knot undone. 
The indulgent Scot, when ?2nglish law too nice is, 
.Sanctions our follies first and then our vices.' 

My father and Mrs. Edgeworth desire me to repeat 
their hopes that you will let us see you at Edgeworth 
Town whenever you come to Ireland. 

Believe me, my dear Cousin, 
Affecly. yours, 

Maria Edgeworth. 

Edgeworth Town, March 20th, 1833. 

I am much gratified, my dear Cousin, by your kind 
remembrance of me — so fresh from the year 1822, when I 
had the pleasure of seeing you at Lady Elizabeth Whit- 



2 8o ELERS MEMOIRS 

broad's.' I am much ohlit;od for the trouble you have 
taken to bring up all the family history to the present 
times, and putting out of the question natural affection, 
which all Irish born or bred like myself {bred not born) 
have for kith ami kin, and cousin's cousins to the hundredth 
generation. Even if I had none of that natural touch in 
me, who could help feeling famih' pride and a glorified 
interest for relations who bear such names, for example, 
as Edward Hungerford Delaval Elers Napier ! I only 
wish that EJgficorth could have come into that train. 

Old Lady Moira.- mother to the late Marquis of 
Hastings, who showed me a pedigree she had made out 
for herself from .Eneas i^one link onh- wanting), was full 
as proud of signing H:t>:i^ir/orJ Hastings as of her great 
^Encas connection. I have letters from her i^very entertain- 
ing, moreover) signed by the titles of all the eight baronies 
that centred in her body : and HitngerforJ was always 
written by her hand in large characters, conspicuous ; and 
when writing to me she drew an emphatic line beneath 
Hunger/or J, indicating, with her Ladyship's characteristic 

courtesy, her acknowledgment of the relationship — I mean 
connexionship, subsisting through the Hungerfords with 

your unworthy humble servant. 

Seriously, my dear cousin, I am truly glad to fmd that 

I am by the balers side connected somehow with the 

Napiers. I am much attached to both Mr. and Mrs. 

Richard Napier, and delighted to feel that I am drawn 

closer to them by their brother's kindness, and generous 

adoption of my cousins. 

I suppose you know all that I could tell \ou and more 

^ Daughter of Charles, first Earl Grey. Married Samuel Whitbread, 
the eminent brewer. Died November, 1S46. 

- Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Theophilus. ninth Earl of 
Huntingdon, by the celebrated Selina, foundress of the ' Countess of 
Huntingdon's connection.' Her ancestor, Edward, second Lord 
Hastings, married Mary, daughter and heiress of Thomas, Lord 
Hungerford, Botreaux, Molines, and Moels. 



CORRKSPONDl^NCE 28 r 

of our Jjeddoes relations and Kiitf^s. The Monarch is 
going on prosperously I believe and hope, which is more 
than ever we believed or hojjcd of most Kings in our times 
— when they seem to be all up-side-down, and more than 
'/car of change perplexes monarchs.' 

Tom Beddoes, my nephew, eldest son of the celebrated 
Doctor, is somewhere wandering about Germany, but 
where exactly I cannot say. Wherever he is he is a man 
of genius — and that is enough for him. 1 have known 
nothing of him for some years, nor have any of his nearer 
relations as far as I can learn, except what the newspapers 
told us, that he was banished from some place in Germany 
for too much democratic eloquence as far as I could 
understand. Some address or letter of his appeared in 
the papers about the Emperor of Russia's resemblance to 
the Upas tree and a Colossus of snow. The Upas tree 
simile I presume the ICmperor might not relish if he knew 
what it meant. 

My nephew, Harry lieddoes, is a most amiable young 
Lieutenant in the Navy, and 1 love him and his profession 
and everything about them. lie is like his dear mother, 
who had her grandfather Edgewr^rth's genius, and the 
Elers' Hack-blue beautiful eyes and eyelashes, and original 
humour of her own, nnd a heart open as day to melting 
charity — all which her son, my dear Harry Beddoes, 
inherits from her. He is going to be married as soon as 
the necessary hundreds can be made out to a young lady 
whom he described to me (last post) as an angel, and who 
is an Eagle — at present, and will soon cease to be an 
Eagle, as soon as her mate intended can feather a nest for 
her. I am quite prepared to love her. 

Of our Coulson relations at Bristol I have heard much 
often, and always well from my sister King, whom I 
suppose you are acquainted with. One of her most 
intimate friends of the family of Bryce has married a 
Coulson, much to her own and my sister Emmeline's 



2S2 ELERS MEMOIRS 

satisfLiction. I prosuino you know Zoe King and Emmolino, 
your young cousins of the Royal stock. 

I do not know whether you are interested for any of 
the brothers and sisters of Fanny — my dear Fann\-, ahas 
Mrs. Lestock \\'ilson. But I am sure you cannot help 
being interested for her, since you iiave lately sat an hour 
with her, as she informed me : and no one that had any 
taste or judgment (,as far as I am informed, at least), ever 
knew her so long without feeling some interest sprouting 
within them towards her — upon the strength of which I 
may mention that you have six half-blood relatives of her 
mother's children, four females (herself included), viz., 
Fanny, Harriet, Sophy, Lucy ; two males, Francis Beau- 
fort E., and Richard Fakenham E. 

Fanny married to Lestock Wilson, as you know. 

Harriet to the Revd. Richd. Butler, Vicarage Fain!, 
Ireland, and his parishioners, even Catholics, love him so 
much that they have printed their resolution to pay him 
his tithes. No children. 

Sophy — married to Barry Fox, Esq., Cloona, King's 
County : children in plenty, but not one too many, for 
they are all agreeable not only to their parents but to those 
who are not bound to find them so. Their names be 
Maxic'clL eldest son, from Ld. Farnham (Maxwell) an 
uncle. (I am not good at explaining these things. 
Excuse me.) 

Marianne — Charlotte and Willy. 

The two brothers of Fanny I have yet to account for. 

Francis Beaufort E.^ is married to a Spanish lady with 
beautiful eyes and a beautiful name, Rosa Florentina. 
Erollcs w^as her father's name. If you want to know 
further, inquire of Mrs. Lestock Wilson. 

They have one son lately born, William, and are li\ing 
very happily at Florence upon very little. But they have 

^ His son. Antonio Eroles Edgewoith, is now owner of Edgeworths 
Town. « 



CORRKSPONDKNCE 283 

all they want. He is one of the cleverest and most 
amiable men, doing nothing and capable of doing anything, 
that I ever knew — and all who know him I believe love 
him, at least I can answer for myself, 

Michael Pakenham E.' is on the high road to riches 
and fame in India at Ferrickabad, the fori of ioy — or words 
to that effect. He is a most persevering son, and if he 
escape the fever of the country will certainly be rich and 
happy. I>ut I fear I shall never live to see him again. 

And now, my dear cousin, I am sure you are or may be 
tired of me, and I will only add by best wishes for yourself. 
I condole with you on the loss of the chance of that ^4,000 
per Annm. which might h;i.ve been yours if the lucky lady 
who lost her lover and gained ;f 10,000 by his death, also 
who had a ^^10,000 and £5,000 prize in the lottery, had 
but completed her good fortune by the timely death of her 
stepson. As you do not mention the amount of the legacy 
or the annuity she left to you after all, I still hope that you 
were not utterly disappointed. 

You make me proud of my cousin Hungerford. Col. 
William Napier's''' praise is a certain hope of honour with 
posterity. 

If ever I am again in London, I hope I shall have the 
pleasure of seeing my pretty cousin Georgiana. 
I arn, my dear Cousin, 

Your affectionate Cousin, 

Makia Edgewokth. 

You will perceive by the date of this letter that I was 
not so dilatory in my thanks for }'our letter as may appear. 
But I cd. not sooner command a frank. 

George Ei.krs, Esqre., 

15, Hookhams, Old Bond Street. 

* Michael Pakenham Edgeworth married, 1846, Christina, daughter 
of Dr. Hugh Macpherson, of Aberdeen, and had two daughters. 

^ Colonel William Napier, afterwards .Sir William Napier, K.C.B., 
historian of he Peninsular War. 



2S4 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Edgkwokih Town. .-/.v;,-/. :-f/!, 1833. 

My dfak Cousin. 

You have hoard I suppose of the death ot" your poor 
Cousin Mary Beddoes. She died the 30th July at Chfton. 
She had lon^; been a dreadful sufferer under a spine com- 
plaint and a complication of diseases. And the result of 
examination after her death proved that no medical power 
or skill could have done more thai^ prolong her sufferings. 
She \\"as a most amiable, resigned, truly good creature. 
Her sister Anna, who had devoted herself to her for years, 
is left without an object in a most pitiable situation. I 
do not mean pitiable as to worldly pecuniary circumstances, 
for those are affluent, but to be pitied for the loss of that 
which money can never supply and for which it can never 
make amends. My niece Anna and my nephew Henry 
Beddoes are immediately coming over to ;<>■ at Edgeworth 
Town. I hope soon to [see] my sister Harriet Eutler of 
Trim, who is Anna's favourite friend. 

Thank \ou for your account of the young hero Napier. 

1 have looked over heaps of papers to tind the enclosed 
account of the Elers family for you. It contains all I 
know^ of the matter. 

It fell into my hands in a curious manner. 1 wont to 
see Jos. Wedgwood, of Etruria. The Wedgwoods are 
hereditary friends of mine. Mr. Jos. Wedgwood gave me 
this paper, which he said he found among his papers. I 
had occasion to apply to him when I was writing a book 
for young people which probably you never have seen, 
called ' Harry and Lucy concluJtd,' in which there is an 
account of the potteries. I applied to \\'edgwood for in- 
formation about them and about a Mr. Elcrs. who by-the- 
by is by mistake call[ed] Ellard in one of the Cyclopedias, 
who was the first person who established the potteries in 
Staffordshire. This Mr. Hlors was said to come from 
Germany. So in reply to my questions Mr. Wedgwood 
proved to me that this gentleman was my groat -grand- 
father. 



coRRi:spoNni':\CE 285 

May Le, my dear Coz, your aristocratic blood may 
shudder at this discovery of which I am nevertheless 
proud. I send you the paper which your great-great- 
grandfather wrote at all events, and if you like to take a 
copy of it you may, and you rnay either send me back your 
copy or this paper — which you please. 

I shd. much prefer your copy because it would be 
written in such a beautiful and legible hand. 

I pray you at the same time to send me for my fee for 
the trouble of routing out this paper for you an Emblazon- 
ment of the Hungerford arms — 1 see them on your seal 
and should like to have such a one myself, but the im- 
pression of your seal is not sufficiently distinct to work 
from. I wish I had a drawing complete of the tomb you 
described. 

You may consider this wish as a very peculiar compli- 
ment from me, for it is main difficult to stir up in me any 
genealogical curiosity, tho' I have plenty of family pride 
as long as it gives me no manner of trouble. 

I am, my dear Cousin, very proud and justly of my 
Hungerford cousinship. 

Your affectionate Cousin, 

[Maria Edgeworth] .^ 

Please if you have not a franker at your command to ask 
Mr. Spring Rice'"^ of the Treasury to frank your packet to 
me. He will, for he is to me the most obliging of men and 
Ministers. 

Cai'T. Eleks, 

Hookham's Library, Bond Street. 



' The autograph has been cut out from the original letter, but the 
handwriting proves its authenticity quite clearly. — Ed. 
'■^ Mr. .Spring Rice, afterwards the first Lord Monteagle, Died 1866. 



286 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Edoeworth Town, April 27^/1, 1836. 

My dear Cousin, 

I have mended my pen before I began to write to 
you, but still have no hopes of writing as fair a hand to 
you as 3'ou write to me. 

Thank you very cordially for your most entertaining and 
interesting history, and thank you still more for being 
certain that I should sympathize with you and rejoice to 
hear of any good fortune that befalls you. But the main 
point still remains to be ascertained, and I pray you not to 
leave me in the agonies of doubt. Let me know to what 
your Residuary-legateeship^ entitles you — besides the carpet 
bag full of diamonds and pearls. You say you have been 
obliged to sell all. What do you mean by All — Do you 
mean all assets, all furniture and stock ? or all house and 
land ? If all house and land, what remains to you, Mr. 
Residuary ? I am afraid you would be in the condition 
of an Irish Residuary legatee. And I don't see the great 
reason you would have to bless your amiable departed 
cousin — at least for any worldly good he has done you 
(saving always the carpet bag). 

Pray write again and clear up this point, and tell me 
that I am very stupid and impertinent if you please and 
can, and I shall rejoice to hear it, and to have a compe- 
tent idea of your good fortune realized, and a Catalogue 
raisonne pray add of the black cases and their contents 
issuing from the carpet bag, which is like a thing in a 
fairy tale and worthy of Prince Fortunatus. 

A cousin of ours, Mrs. Anna Edgeworth, some years ago 
left me a legacy of a pair of superb diamond earrings, 
w^hich as I never wished to wear I turned into a market- 
house, which I believe is very useful to the poor and rich 
people who frequent our village market and fairs. I will 
have my cousin Anna's name put upon it sometime. I 
wish you would come and see it, though it is not the least 
worth seeing — and us — if you don't think that )'0u might 
' To the Rev. Thomas Speidell. See note to p. 274. — Ed. 



CORRESPONDENCE 287 

say the same of us at the end of your journey. Notwith- 
standing all you may see in the newspaper, ' there is no fear 
that your Honour's throat would be cut or a bullet put 
through your body if you would come to Ireland, please 
your Honour.' 

Believe me, 
Your affectionate and obliged Cousin, 

Maria Edgeworth. 
Pray answer this soon. 

Captn. G. Elers, 

20, Seymour Place, Bryanstone Square. 

Deer. 1 8//?, 1836. 

My dear Cousin, 

To my shame I hear that I never wrote to thank 
you for your most entertaining letter and narrative which 
you sent me long ago at my own particular request. I 
really felt so much obliged that I thought I had written 
to say so. This you will please to set down to the natural 
propensity to blunder in your Irish cousin and [not] to 
any want of grateful regard. Alas ! I have nothing new 
or entertaining to tell you in return for your overflowing 
quantity. 

Our greatest interest in life at present hangs upon my 
two sisters, Fanny Wilson and Sophy Fox, who are with 
their mother at Clifton under Mr. King's care, as probably 
you know from my sister King. And our only hope is 
that Mr. King may be as successful as he is kind and 
skilful, and may do as much for these two most patient 
patients as he has done for my sister Lucy, whom he has 
quite restored and renovated. 

My dear Cousin, if you have, as I presume you must 
have, intercourse and influence with Sir Charles Metcalfe,^ 

1 Son of Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, Bart., by Susannah Sophia, 
daughter of John Debonnaire. Born January 30, 17S5; Governor of 
Agra, Governor-General of Canada, Member of the Supreme Council 
of India ; created Lord Metcalfe, January, 1845 '■> <^^'ed, s.p., September, 
1846. 



1 wijih you wvuki |Hit ill a vw^rd tor \v>ur «>>u>iin. n\y hrv">ther 
Michael Pakenh;im Kdj^>\\\>rth, who is^ Assistant to 
Mr, CUrk. the Political A^^nt of the E. I. Compy. at 
AuibuUa \w.,tir the Hymalax'^iih mounti\ins\ 

All I w-ant \\>u to^iy i:? that he is \\>ur ivlati\x\ and th«\t 
he is ^anvi this \\»u may say with ivrtect truih^ a \viu\^ 
man of exct»llent character and highly esteeaned. He has 
been r.\x^ \x\\r? in India. 

It n>ay chance that Sir C. >{etcalfe may ha\\> it in his 
powxT to sorvv or i^ix^L' him pleasure by his notice, either 
per^^:-„v*.!y or by letters, and this is all I look to. 

We want nothing tor Takenham at present. Ho is as 
well off as can be. and situated just as he likes with Mr. 
Clarke [,<fjc]. who is a >\\>rthy man and valued friend, and 
in a healthy country- where he has the fun her advant;i^^ 
of beautiful flo\x>er^ VNXvds, insects to gratify his tastes for 
Forany and Entomo»lo^' — Tastes which keep in health 
and happine^ — and crvX>d tem^vr. temjvr lately tried by 
the loss of microscoi>e, telescojx^. all his Kx^ks of Rotany 
and Hortm Sux-ms, and all his 4 fa\-ourite hordes in a dis- 
turKince at Ballawulla. 

The extent of his losses at first he told iis was t4<^v\ 
Bi:t he has Kx?.n rewanied for his good temper by reco\\>r- 
ing all his hor?es, though in a starved condition. 

Miciv\?coix\ telescv^pe, Horttis 5kvj<s. and De Candolli 
all gone to the dogs or the SiVis [Sikhs] — \\\->rse than the 
dogs as to any chance of reco\>?ring the j>rojvrty. 

\\> are at this moment at Ed^ewvnh Town in the heats 
of an election. Lord Forbes's death haviiig left a \'acancy 
in our County. The Conservatix-e Candidate, who is now 
hard at it, is my cousin Charles Fox vbrother-in-law to 
Sophy F., and brother of Barr\- Fox — nephews K>th of 
the late Earl Earn ham. 1 may mention, as I know all the 
EUeis like anything tending to genealog}.-\ 

How it ^\4ll end I don't know, but heartily hope, of 
course, for our own cv>usin. And besides being a pri\"ate 



COKHi.SrONOi.NCK 2^<^ 

\>\<:n.%firf'. thJH would Lo a public good, an thi'o is a /^r^^at 
',fr(jg;^lc between O'C. \(y(.')ur\cM\ and Con?i^;rvativ';s, and 
the quiet of Ireland, and of all property and prmciplc, 
depends on the preservation of the spirit of order, religious, 
rrif^rai and {political, against the I>->rd of Misrule and the 
'.piril (A Catholic revolution, who in the form of prie-ftts is 
nov/ awfully at v/ork. 

f am, 
Yours affectionately, rny dear (jjhs'iti, 

Mahia Eix;iiwoi'7i/. 

Cakj, Kj,kk.s, 

2^>, Scyrnour IMa^e, Ur/an'-zU/nc Sf{tih.rt:. 

This letter is s*;aled with my brother-in-law liutler''^ 
arms partly per pale with Edgeworth. 

KiA/Kv/oj'KJ 'i ov/s, MarcA /2M, /'53^. 

My j-iKAK Cousin, 

I have been absent from home at Trim with your 
eou'-j'n ffarriet Butler and her husband, v/herefore you 
have not sooner had my acknowledgments for your very 
kind and gratifying letter. 

'J'he best way in which I could acknowlfxlge this to you 
I thought was by oVjeying your injggestion and writing to 
thank your good cousin, Mrs. Monson.* I leave my note 
open for you to judge whether it is what you wish and 
think proper — and if you approve fasten down the c3/:het 
volans C«'c) and present the note to Mrs. Mons^^n. 

I am not sure v/hether I have written to you since v/e 
heard from Pakenham of his having bef;n at the splendid 
rnarriaj^e of Runjut Twc; Singh's grandson, and of his re- 
ceiving from him fme hr^f^-h-As, Htc, and expressions of his 
respect for his character, and his mode of doing justice in 
his station. Pakenharn in one of his letters mentioned 

' Anne, daughter f/ John Jjchxrtinaire, --iiit^rr of La/jy MeU^lfe, 
married, January 10, 1786, ifon. William Monvm, father r/f William 
John, sixth Lord .Monson. 

19 



290 ELERS MEMOIRS 

moreover u^nJ ^i great deal nioriovcr it seemed to him) 
that the Governor had been pleased to express his appro- 
bation of his conduct and chjiracter. 

As Takenhain said only tlw Governor I am not clear 
who he meant. \"erv likely it was Sir Charles Metcalfe. 
^^"c are [none] of us quite sure whether it was before Sir C. 
Metcalfe let't India, and I have not my brother's letter to 
refer to. 

Sir Charles Metcalfe's honourable mention of him, 
however, in his letter to Mrs. Monson which you were so 
good [as] to repeat to me in your last letter, is everything 
we could wish and justifies my thanks to her. It is most 
true literally that we prefer for him such approbation to 
any advancement in situation. He is perfectly happy 
where he is — in a healthful situation near the Hymalaya 
mountains, and with a kind friend in his superior, Mr. 
Clarke, and I think he would be sorry to be removed as 
long [as] Clarke remains there. He is in the country of 
flowers, and being a great botanist, this is an everyday 
source of pleasure to him after his six hours of dut\ -work 
at C:ulurry.^ He will never be rich, but he will always 
be contented, happy and good. And I trust, my dear 
cousin, that some four years hence, when he is to have 
leave to come home, you will see him, and that he will 
have the satisfaction of thanking you in person. 

I am sorrN- you have been suffering by cold. But so has 
everybody, if that be any comfort. Cold comfort you'll 
say if you ever allow yourself so vile a thing as a pun. 

Do you know of any j-oung man whose funds can afiord 
to pay two hundred a year for having him well prepared 
for the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge, and lodged 
and boarded for the years he is so preparing, in a very 
agreeable f;\mily, vi/., with my brother Francis E. and his 
Spanish wife, Rosa Florentina E., now residing at Clewer 
Cottage, near Windsor ? 

' Cucherry=ot}ice. — En. 



CORRl-.Sl^ONDKNCK 291 

If you know of such please mention your Cousin Francis 
K., and you will serve your friend and your friend's 
friends, whoever they may be, and oblige 

Your affectionate Cousin, 

Makia JC/-»ch worth,' 

Cak;n. Gkorgk PIj.krs, 

20, Seymour i'laf.e, liryanstone Square. 

EnoEwo/nn Town, ;l/«y -jih, \'/,ip. 

My /jJvAK COUSJN, 

I omitted to enclose in my letter of yesterday these 
notes for iMr. iiurke, which it was the particular object of 
my letter to forward. 

I omitted also to say that if Mr. }3urke wishes to 
publish the motto I sent him he is at liberty to do fsoj, 
f^rovided he does not i^ut my name at full length to them, 
which I own I should not like to see to anything so trivial. 
Besides, my father advised me never to publish any 
rhymes, to content myself with plain prose. And I have 
given this true, reason to Joanna Baillie, even my dear 
friend Joanna, for not letting my name be put to her 
collection of Verses by friends for a charitable purpose. 

Whether you agree with my father and me or not, I am 
sure, my dear Coz, you will believe me quite sincere in 
what I say and not fishing for Compliments, and I tru.st 
therefore you will do and make Mr. Burke do as I desire. 
He may put at the bottom of the rnotto M. E. if he 
pleases, ?jecause nobody knows who M. E. is and there 
may be J 00 M. E's. But I do not desire to see sprawling 
under such lines the full length 

MAf<IA EbOfiWORT/J, 

Yours affectionately and sincerely. 
Was Mr. Baldy^ an officer in the Navy? R.S.V.P. 

' The autograph and part of the address are cut out of the original 
letter.— Eij. 
''■ See p. 9.— El», 

19—2 



292 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Edgenvorth Town, Afay 5///, 1841. 

Mv DEAR Cousin, 

I have delayed two days to reply to your kind and 
touching letter, onl}' to obtain the necessary corrections 
for the new Edition of your friend Mr. Burke's work, I 
enclose them and the autograph which j-ou desired for him. 

I rejoice to see by the steadiness and beauty of your 
handwriting that you must have completely recovered 
from your illness. We have been profiting in another way 
by the distinctness of your handwriting ; your Manuscript 
Memoirs are really as eas}- to read as print, and certainly 
this adds much to the reader's pleasure — especially in 
reading aloud. Your friend and relation Lady Ashbrook^ 
must be pleased, I think, to see her beautiful little volumes 
so filled. We much admire, by-the-by, the readiness with 
which the books start up ready to the reader's hand out of 
their elastic case. This may be a case very common in 
the London world, but as we had never seen one of the 
kind before you have for it our raw country admiration. 

We have all in this family, even those who have no 
Elers interest in the Memoirs, been amused by your 
History, and you will, I am sure, be glad to hear that they 
have afforded means of entertaining for several evenings a 
loved and much respected lady, Mrs. Mary Sneyd'' (Our 
Aunt by courtesy), who is now in her goth year just 
recovered from an illness. She took, with her very kind 
and ready sympathy, a lively interest in your ups and 
downs in life — and much regretted your loss of your right 
time for promotion and Majority. x\nd even your losses by 
horses or otherwise she failed not to deplore. 

There are some curious and valuable anecdotes — 
especially that of Sir David Baird's generous conduct to 

^ Emily Theophila, daughter of Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Bart., by 
Susannah Sophia, daughter of John Debonnaire. Married, June 22, 
18 12, Henry JeftVey, fourth \'iscount Ashbrook. 

- Daughter of Edward Sneyd, of Lichfield, sister of Honora and 
Elizabeth Sneyd, successively wives of Richard Lovell Edgeworth. 



CORRESPONDENCE 293 

the Duke of Wellington, which I have heard variously told 
and sometimes its truth disputed. I never saw it so well 
ascertained or so clearly told as in your MS., and as you 
had it from Col. Wellesley's Aide-de-Camp at the time it 
cannot be disputed. 

The death of Col. Aston is very striking and well and 
touchingly told. The Cobra de Capello very curious ! 
Your loss of the heiress we deplore. But you were very 
happily saved from the marriage with the lady of your love, 
and may bless her hard-hearted mother. 

As to fearing my criticism, put that quite out of your 
head. I never read to criticise. And as you did not, you 
say, think of writing for anyone's eyes but your nephew's, 
and as you do not think of publishing, there could be no 
use and could be only ill-nature going to waste in making 
corrections of the press — as to little matters which a 
Corrector undertakes and is paid for. 

My dear Cousin, as to the hint of mine which you say 
prevented you from writing to me, I am sorry if it gave 
you a moment's pain. But believe me, it was meant only 
as an apology for my being a bad correspondent. And I 
have written the very same words, I believe, very lately to 
friends in America whom I particularly esteem, but with 
whom, as I frankly told them, it was absolutely out of my 
power to keep up a regular correspondence — merely from 
my not having time. 

My sister Emmeline can tell you the same thing, and 
she never was hurt by my telling her the plain and absolute 
matter of fact. 

I am very glad she and Zoe had an opportunity of being 
kind to you in a way and at a time when you felt it so 
affectionately. 

Mrs. Edgeworth^ desires me to say that if you should 
think change of air would be beneficial to you and if you 

' Fourth and last wife of R. L. Edgeworth, Frances Anne, daughter 
of the Rev. Daniel Augustus Beaufort, died February 20, 1865. 



294 ELERS MEMOIRS 

could undertake a journey to Ireland (by-the-by, with rail- 
road and steam vessels, no very difficult thing) she and all 
of us here and I in particular, your blood relation, would 
be very happy to see you and would make you as comfort- 
able as we possibly could. 

Believe me, dear Cousin, 

Affectionately Yours, 

Maria Edgeworth. 

My sister Honora (married to Captn. Beaufort, Nov. 8, 
1838, as the enclosed notes to Mr. Burke observe) is now 
with us ; but she will be in London in the course of this 
month, probably at No. 11, Gloucester Place, where they 
reside. She desires me with her cousinly Compliments 
to tell you that she should be happy to see you if you would 
be so kind [as] to call upon her whenever you pass that way. 
You must have the goodness to excuse Captn. Beaufort 
from making the first or any morning call upon you, as his 
duties as the Hydrographer of the Admiralty keep him at 
his office from ten in the morning till late dinner-time. 

I forgot to mention when speaking of your Memoirs that 
we have all an unsatisfied curiosity upon one point, and 
you must satisfy us. How did you get the 20 guineas 
into the custom-house officer's hand ? Were they in a flat 
purse ? Were they wrapped flat in paper ? or were they 
in a paper rouleau ? or were they loose ? 

I thought that they must have been loose, so that the 
officer should by the touch be made aware of their number. 

But then the danger of his dropping them, and their 
rolling tell-tales about the floor ! Your cousin Lucy opines 
that they were in a little leather purse flat, such as she has 
seen Mr. King use. 

Mrs. Edgeworth, who is always most likely to be right, 
thinks they were in a rouleau, and that the weight of the 
rouleau made the experienced practitioner aware of the 
number. I know that 20 guineas put close together 



CORRESPONDENCE 295 

will exactly (it is said) fill the space between the first joint 
of the middle finger and the palm of the hand. But I shd. 
think this measure might be inaccurate, because fingers 
differ in length at least a guinea or so. Mine are so short 
that I am sure he wd. have lost 3 by my measurement. 
At all events be sure to settle this matter in yr. next.^ 

Edgeworth Town, /«// 14^/1, 1841. 

My dear Cousin, 

Have you any recollection of the house and place 
of Black Bourton ? If you have, I wish you would send 
me such a description of it, or such a scratch with a pen, 
as could enable anybody to form an idea of the sort of 
front or look of house it was. I have a friend who would 
from any such description or scratch make a drawing of it 
for me. 

I have been returned here some weeks. I left Mrs. 
Wilson at Brighton, where she has been ever since, and 
is recovering slowly. I found Mrs. Edgeworth recovering 
from a severe rheumatic fever. She is now able to walk, 
and will, I hope, by degrees become as well as ever. She 
is now in Dublin for change of air. 

We are in the turmoil of an Election at this moment, 
which I heartily wish was over. 

I hope you will be able to give me a good account of 
your own health, my Dr. Cousin, and I am. 

Sincerely and affecly. Yrs., 

Maria Edgeworth. 

I see Mr. Burke has published his peerage. I thought 
he would have had the grace to have sent me a copy. 

1 Seep. 188.— Ed. 



296 ELERS MEMOIRS 

Lines by Maria Edgeworth on Burke the Genealogist. 

Lines that may be prefixed to Burke's new Edition of 
the Commoners of Gt. Britain. 

Since Reason says that ' To be born and die ' 

Of //rt^ mankind make a// the history — 

Let Nobles, Cientles grateful praise award 

To him whose faithful Registers record 

Their Births, their deaths, their Marriages, their heirs 

And more than half th' historic page prepares. 

Burke, may thy namesake Burke's immortal fama 
Attend thy labors, and embalm thy name. 

M. E. 

Copy of a letter I suggested to be written to the King, which 
was written by Mrs. Crole, March 14, 1826. And the 
request granted. — Geo. Elers. 

53, Sloank St., March 14, 1826. 

Sir, 

A few days since I received a letter from my dear 
son George, dated from Calcutta in October last. I am 
grieved to say he has had a slight attack of that disorder 
that has been so fatal in the East. He expresses an 
anxious desire for Your Majesty's permission to return 
home. He has now been absent from England eight 
years, and should any accident happen to him, I should 
be for ever miserable. 

By every account he is a most excellent and amiable 
young man, and I doubt not will prove himself worthy of 
the kindness and protection you have so graciously been 
pleased to evince towards him. He has been now two 
years and a half a Captain, and I am most anxious to see 
him a Field Officer. Is it not possible that his promotion 
and his leave to return home might be effected at the 
same time ? 

I have the honour to remain Your Majesty's most 
devoted and obliged Servt. 

E. C. 



CORRESPONDENCE 297 

Sloane St., 2,oihMay, 1826. 

Sir, 

On the 14th of March last, I addressed a letter to 
the King under cover to you, requesting you would have 
the kindness to present it to His Majesty. Not having 
received any answer or acknowledgment of its receipt, I 
conclude it must have been overlooked in the hurry of 
public business. 

In that letter I stated, that I had received a letter from 
my son George, dated from Calcutta in October last, that 
he had suffered from an attack of the Cholera Morbus, 
and expressed a wish to receive His Majesty's permission 
to return to England, having been absent from this 
country eight years. 

I should feel myself extremely obliged if you could 
afford me any intelligence respecting the letter I had the 
honour of addressing to H. M. on the subject I have 
already stated. I have the honour to remain, 

Sir, 
Your Obedt. Humble Servt., 

E. C. 

Sir Wm. Knighton, Bt., etc., etc., etc. 

Copy of a letter I suggested Mrs. Crole to write to Sir Wm. 
Knighton, together with an addition by The Earl of 
Egremont in his ow7t Handwriting. — Geo. Elers. 

May \(j(h, 1828. 

Sir, 

I beg leave to inform you my Son, Major Crole, is 
arrived from the East Indies. As you have been so kind 
as to interest yourself about him, I should be much 
obliged to you if you wld. favour me with your advice as 
to the manner in which his arrival is to be announced to 
His Majesty, and what is to be done with respect to his 
future establishment. He is a very gentlemanlike young 
Man, quiet and unpresuming, but having been all his life 
accustomed to consider himself as the natural Son of the 



298 ELERS MEMOIRS 

King:. ;i'Hi haviiii; for those list ton years lived in tlie 
families of the Marquis of Hastini;s and ICarl of Amherst, 
accustomed to every splendour, he has under all these 
circumstances naturally acquired without extravagance 
habits of luxury and expense. 

Any Advice you will favour me with upon these points 
I have had the honour of stating would confer a great 
favour upon. 

Sir, 
Yr. faithful and Obliged Servant, 

E. Ckolk. 

As I am afr.iid of being misunderstt>iid. I must add a 
few words to say that it is far from my intention to ask 
for anything unreasonable, and that I have no doubt that 
my Son will conform to whatever may be thought proper 
for him. but >"ou will feel that a Noung man sent at so early 
an age and witlunit an\- experience to India, and residing for 
ten years as Aide-de-camp to the successive Governors, 
where the circumstances of his birth could not be kept 
secret, is not tit to be turned loose ui^on London, without 
employment, and without any explanation as to his future 
destination, and without any restraint or support but 
such as I can gi\e him. 

An intc'rcstiug letter of my Xephexc's. giving the Account of 
Napier's. Vietory over the Fleet of Don Miguel. — Geo. 
Elers. 

PUKr.ROOK, NE.\R PORTSMOUTH, 

////)• \6f/t [1S33]. 
Mv nE.\K Uncle, 

As you will no doubt feel interested in the proceed- 
ings of Capn. Napier^ and my brother Charles,'- I lose no 
time in acquainting you with a few of the particulars we 
^ Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B., Rear-.\dmiral, of Meirhistown Hall, 
Hants. Born March 6, 17S6. Died November 5, 1860. 

* Geor};e Charles Elers Napier, horn 1S12; entered the Navy 
llecenibcr 7, 1825 ; lost in H.M. frigate Avc/ti^er, December zo. 1S47. 



CORRESPONDENCE 299 

have just received from them, rfJative to the brilliant 
affair which took place on the 5th Inst, off Cape St. 
Vincent, between the fleet of Don Pedro, under the 
command of Don Carlos di Ponza (my father's nom de 
guerre), and that of Don Miguel. We have just received 
letters from both, which corroborate the accounts j^iven 
in the papers of the action ; owing to the great disparity 
of forces the loss on the part of Don Pedro has been 
severe, two of the Captains killed, and nearly all the 
other officers wounded. My father escaped with a slight 
wound frf)m a crow}>ar ; (".harlf;y was not, however, so 
fortunate, as he n^ceived no less than six, inflicted by 
bayonets and sabres, lie was handled thus roughly on 
boarding one of the enemy's Line of battle ships (the 
Nao Rahina), where he and two others who succeeded in 
scrambling up first were left for several minutes unsup- 
ported. He, however, made the most of his time, as he 
killed four men with his own hand, when, unfortunately, 
his sword getting between the ramrod and barrel of a 
musket, he was disarmed and left to fight it out with his 
fists. Even then he succeeded in knocking down one 
fellow, and had seized a second by the throat when he 
was stunned by a blow on the head from the butt end of a 
musket. At this moment my father came up with the 
remainder of the boarding party and carried the ship. 

Their loss has been great, but at the time he writes it 
was not ascertained what was the exact amount. Their 
next opcratif)ns will, I should imagine, be on Lisbon, 
which, if it declares in favour of the Queen, will, I hope, 
put an end to the contest, and give us a chance of shortly 
seeing them both again safe and sound in England. My 
last accounts of my Kegt. were up to the beginning of 
Feby., when they expected daily to embark, as they had 
marched from Hyderabad and reached the coast. I 
have been daily looking out for them for the last two 
months, and do not know what to make of their non- 
arrival. 



300 ELERS MEMOIRS 

We lost a Lieut.-Col. and a Captain a short time 
before I heard of them. The vacancy of the former has 
not been filled up, which I think is decidedly a hard case, 
as it occurred whilst the Regt. was still on foreign service. 
I am now so high up amongst the Captains, that I think 
it would be folly to think of exchanging, and I am, 
therefore, determined to take my chance and stick to 
the 46th. 

We have received a letter from Eliza, dated 15th Feby., 
announcing her safe arrival at Madras, where, at the time 
she wrote, she w'as already an old Indian of five days' 
standing. She was delighted with the place ; wrote in 
capital spirits and health, which I hope she may long 
enjoy. 

By the bye, in mentioning the loss of one of our Lieut.- 
Colonels, I forgot he was an old friend of yours ; it was no 
less than poor Col. Ogilvie, than whom a better-hearted 
man did not exist. Mrs. Ogilvie I saw on her way to 
London a couple of months ago. I do not know whether 
you were acquainted with her, but, poor thing, she is so 
much pulled down and altered by the death of her 
husband, of whom she was very fond, that I scarcely 
knew her. 

My mother and sisters are all quite well, but of course 
feel very anxious until they hear further accounts from 
Charles, who I hope and trust is doing well. He is to 
have the command of one of the captured vessels, and 
having had a noble opportunity of proving his personal 
courage, may now have occasions to show his talents as a 
naval man. 

I shall now conclude this scrawl, and believe me, my 
dear Sir, to remain. 

Ever sincerely yours, 

E. E. Napier.^ 

' Edward Hungerford Delaval Elers Napier, born 1808 ; a Alajor- 
General. 



CORRESPONDENCE 301 

My brother goes by the name of Captn. George Chorley^ 
of H.M.F.M. Service. 

Captain G. Elers, 

Hookham's Library, Bond Street, London. 

Extreme Outposts, S. Sebastian, 
May 13 [1836]. 

My dear Ellers, 

On the night of the fourth the army saUied out of 
the gates of S. Sebastian at 3 o'clock. The grey of the 
morning saw the first hues of the enemy taken, but many 
of our brave comrades lay stretched on the field : the 
light brigade, consisting of the 3d, 6th and rifles, then 
attacked the centre. This was a tremendous position, of 
course ; the enemy had no cannon, or the taking would have 
been impossible, but every house on each side of the road 
which was the object of contention was transformed into a 
battery, filled with Infantry, every window loopholed and 
bricked up. By the bye, one i8-pounder they had. 

This was the dreadfully disputed point. Col. Tupper 
led up the 6th to the attack ; they stood as long as they 
could, but were repulsed with great slaughter ; my cousin 
in charge of a company behaved as gallantly as ever 
Soldier did, and fell wounded in front of his company 
after two hours' hard fighting. Between 200 and 300 men 
fell before this position : still it remained untaken, and the 
6th, I am sorry to say, as well as the rest of the light 
Brigade, refused to advance any farther. The Irish Brigade, 
consisting of the 7th, 9th, and loth Regts., attacked the 
left flank of the enemy's positions and gallantly took the 
first lines, though with great loss. The first Regiment, 
the only one of our Brigades that had landed, accompanied 
them ; the second lines, however, firmly resisted ; the ist 
charged the battery 3 times and were 3 times repulsed — 
the loth the same. The gth then attempted it, were 
repulsed and refused to return. Every one now despaired, 
though the Phcenix Steamer had opened a breach. The 



302 ELERS MEMOIRS 

men were disheartened. At this critieal moment the 
S.iLimjrJc-r Steamer was seen to eiiter the Port, bearing 
the 4th and Sth on her decks; they disembarked, and 
company by company, as landed from the boats, marched 
along the sands, ascended the heights, joined the Army 
and formed. The hononr of attacking the battery was 
given to the l-'usiliers. The Adjutant-General came up to 
them, and addressing them, told them that every Regiment 
had been repulsed and that the honour of taking the 
batter}'^ remained for them ! We gave our loud Hurra ! 
and disdaining to tire a shot, we rushed up the hill at the 
point of the bayonet, burst thro' the breach, and in a 
moment the battery was ours ! ! I had the honour, niy old 
Friend, of leading the right wing upon this occasion, and 
my conduct having been approved of by the General, 1 
was yesterday gazetted Bt. Lt. -Colonel. 

Adieu. 

Yrs ever, 

AucrsTrs Losack. 

r.S. ... I wish we were near one another, to take one 
another by the hand. . . . 

We expect to attack Passages in a few days : Ours only 
lost one Captain killed, and two Officers wounded in the 
charge. 76 British Officers were put hors de combat — 12 
or 14 killed. 

In great haste and much Bugle blowing. 

Capt. Ellers, 

at Mr. Hookham's, Oki Boiul Street, 

London, EngLind. 

Miss LcSiuk's letter to mc giving the Account of the Storming 
the lines of St. Sebastian, ^th May. — G. E. 

PuxTON Hall, St. Neots, Huntshre, 
15 May, 1836. 
My dear Sir, 

I have much pleasure in letting you know that I 
have received a letter from my Brother, part of which was 



COK]<J<:SI^ONI3ENCE 303 

written after the brilliant victory f^ained by the British 
Lef^ion near St. Sebastian on the 5th of this month. I am 
happy to say the I'usiliers had a splendid opportunity 
of distinguishing themselves, as you will see in the copy of 
the latter part of Augustus' letter which he desired me to 
forward to you, and which I have also much pleasure in 
doing. 

lielieve me to remain, 
My dear Sir, 

Yrs very truly, 

Cjjkistiana Losack. 

vSt. Sebastian ! Hurra ! May 5th. We landed and in- 
stantly were marched to storm a battery that had foiled 
the whole Legion. The Adjutant-General came up to us 
and told us that there were plenty of crows upon the 
heights, that every other regiment had failed, and that the 
Fusiliers had an opportunity to crown themselves with 
glory. We landed from the Steamer, we marched from 
the beach, and we took the battery without firing a shot ! ! 
My conduct has been approved of. Col. Harley behaved 
like a hero. I am now writing this in a caf6 at St. 
Sebastian. I carried this letter in my cap through the 
whole of the fight. We have 600 killed and wounded and 
upward of 30 Officers 1 ! We have carried every thing 
before us. 

Poor William is wounded. I traversed a fire of 40 
Carlists to go to his regiment to know how he was. His 
wound is slight, thank God, and he behaved nobly through- 
out the affair. 

Capt. Ellers, 

Hookham's Library, Old Bond Street, London. 



;,C4 HJLFRS Ml-.MOIRS 

Frotn my clever friend Lt.-CoL Losack, K.S.F., about to be 
married to a lady of Fortufie. lo Novr., 1S39. 

r>REVUSCA. JVoz: 20 [1S36]. 

My peak Ellers, 

For the future I have the pleasure to inform you 
that you may direct your letters to Major Losack. O.M. 
General's department, British Auxiliary Force, Spain. I 
am attached permanentl}- to Head Quarters, where all 
letters for the Legion are sent. This is the very Siberia 
of Spain, and as unlike the idea we in England form of 
the country as Scotland is to Italy. The inhabitants may 
possess more energy than those who live in the sunny 
plains of Andalusia ; they may be brave, hardier — but 
they are a set of as ignorant brutes as ever neglected the 
passing ages of civilization. You may take my word for 
it that we are generally disliked. The greatest part of the 
inhabitants is composed of Carlists, and even the others, 
when we leave this countr\-, will say that they could have 
done without us. tho' some few have acknowledged to me 
that the Queen's party tremble with fear directly we quit 
their towns, saying plainly that they have no confidence 
in the prowess of their own troops. Carlos has 20.000 
men. and they are all troops far superior to the Queen's. 
The army of the Queen does not reach 30,000. Cordova, 
indeed, had the other day an affair in which he had the 
advantage, but I firmly believe that the enemy had not 
more than half his force. Who knows but in less than 
three or four months I may pick up my Lt. -Colonelcy in 
their ranks — I don't mean that I am going to turn Carlist ! 
but amidst the carnage of their ranks, as a few daj-s will 
see us at Vittoria, and early in the spring we shall come 
to blows. If you think we lead a pleasant life here you 
never were more mistaken in your conjectures. We 
suffer ever)- species of privation, and that is a sort of 
thing one gets no honour for, therefore my desire is to set 
about the thing in earnest and finish it, then let them put 



CORRESPONDENCE 305 

us into some good towns as garrison for the remaining 
part of our service. But this is not likely, and as the 
French proverb has it, ' As I have drawn the wine I must 
drink it.' I do not give you much intelligence in this 
letter, as I have written a detailed account of my adven- 
tures in another quarter where you will see it. 

ViTTORiA, Dec. 7th. 

Three days' march ?jrought us here. Grand preparations 
were made for us, complimentary Arches, carpets hung 
out of the windows, and other follies ; we arrived, however, 
at six at night, and they could neither see us, nor we 
them. I always disliked vSpaniards, and I have not 
changed my opinion yet. 

I have not yet heard of any Spanish lady having taken 
an Englishman into her good graces ! Vittoria has one 
square, built like the Palais Royal, the rest are miserable 
dirty streets. We are badly lodged, badly fed, and no 
smiles to recompense us. I wish I was safe back again 
with my remuneration in my pocket. However, if the 
first affair gives me the cross and a Lt. -Colonelcy, it 
certainly would smooth things a little. I don't like this 
drudging on as a major : I think the second row of lace 
round my cuff looks more gentlemanly. But the fact is, 
if they were to make me Jesus Christ, I should not be 
content until I got the other step ! ! 

We are to have a ball here in a day or two — in my 
next you shall hear about it. I was at one at Bilbao, but 
that's a long while ago, when I was a poor devil of a 
captain in the Fusiliers. Give my best regards to 
Mrs. Hodges, and tell Mrs. F. that the Spanish Ladies 
are like her, quite insensible to all my most insinuating 
looks. 

I remain, my dear Filers, 

Always your friend, 

Augustus Losack. 
20 



3o6 ELERS MEMOIRS 

/Vr. 9///. 

The ball was as brilliant as splendid uniforms and a 
Tlicatre could make it, but no supper, which in my 
opinion rather spoilt the general effect. The women are 
damned ugly and I did not dance. 

Previous to the ball there was what I am sure they 
thought a glorious display of fireworks, a transparency 
bearing this inscription — VI\'EN LOS INGLESES — 
and for the benefit of we ignorant islanders they were 
kind enough to translate it, which they did in the follow- 
ing elegant manner, * The English, let them live.' If they 
call stopping two-thirds of our pay for three months 
letting us live — why, I've done. \\'oll. never mind, there 
is some difference between drilling and drudging in a 
regiment, and galloping in the midst of a gorgeous Staff, 
with a cocked hat and tremendous plume, and having 
nothing to do but to look full of business and impor- 
tance ! ! This is a sad world, my friend, in which those 
who most deserve are too often the least rewarded ; my 
sufterings. you know, have been lojig and mauy, and it is 
but just I should have my turn. 

Capt.\in Ellers, 

at Mr. Hookham's Library, 

Old Bond Street, London. 

Chart Lodge, ^/u/v, 1S41. 
MV DEAR Mk. ElEKS, 

. . . Your gallant relative carried his election 
gloriously, and notwithstanding in some respects the 
elections have not done much for the Whigs I consider 
the Corn laws are done for. It does not signify much 
whether the Tories or the Liberals bring it about, but I 
can easily see before 3 sessions are over — the restrictive 
policy must go by the board. I only suspect that, its 
usual, the delay will render very much larger concessions 
necessarv, than would be the case now. 



COKRKSJ^ON]Ji-:NCK 307 

I''arowcll, my doar Mr. Elcrs, with every hope for the 
restoration of your health and that we may still enjoy 
some merry days together. 

l^eiieve me, 

Yours very sincerely, 

WiLLM. MONSON. 

Jamaica, 20th Dcrr., \'<'.a,\. 

My iJi'.Ak (Captain Eleks, 

I have four letters from you, three written in 
September and one in October. 'I'he last from Jersey and 
the others relating to your determination to go there. I 
trust that you may recover your usual health and strength 
and derive comfort from your residence in that beautiful 
Island. Your description almost tempts me to think of it 
as the place for my own retirement after my return to 
England, which I hope will take place in a few months, as 
I have sent in my resignation and requested to be relieved, 
having accomplished, according to my own notion, and I 
hope to the satisfaction of Her Majesty's Government, the 
purpose for which I accepted the Government of Jamaica. 

As I only came to render this service to my Gountry, 
there no longer exists any reason for my remaining, and I 
therefore wish to return Home, and presume that my 
application for permission will be complied with. Lord 
Monson will I am sure do Honour to his Title, and to any 
wealth that may accompany it ; and I cannot but rejoice 
at his accession to the Rank of his Forefathers. 
Believe me, My dear Capt. Elers, 

Yours very sincerely, 

G. T. Metcalfe. 

Captain Geo. Elers. 

Jersky, /««/. J, j?54: 
My dear Lord and GoUvSin, 

May it please the great disposer of all things to 
grant yourself. Lady Monson and all your family many 



3o8 ELERS MEMOIRS 

happy returns of this day, I think I told you Curtis's 
Banking-house apprized me of your kindness to me. I 
hope you have reced. the expression of the sincere thanks 
I feel towards you for that kindness. I looked forward 
with delight and pleasure when I shall see you at Brighton 
and I hope also at Chart, when my Spirit of Prophecy 
will be fulfilled. When in answer to one of your hospit- 
able invitations to that place — I said, something like this : 
' Wait awhile until we shall all meet there, under happier 
' circumstances than at present.' 

From the first hour I saw you in Queen Ann St. I had 
a presentiment you would become what you now are. 
Your poor Mother used to say, ' For my part, I never built 
or anticipated. If it comes to pass, well and good.' You 
must have heard her say the same thing a hundred times. 

Last night We gave a Grand Ball in Honour of the 
Birth of The P. of Wales. All the Beauty and fashion of 
the Island were present. We turned the Theatre into the 
Ball-room. We had a superb Supper. The finest French 
Wines. The Theatre decorated with Regal Crowns, Flags, 
Laurel Transparencies, etc., etc. A fine Band in the Boxes, 
who were concealed from view by the decorations. It was 
a superb affair. 

I wish in the Summer you would all come. I would get 
you a good House, and shew you the Lions. 

You never tell me anything of Ly. A.^ or Mrs. S. or 
Sir Chas.^ Is he coming home ? 

Believe me, 

Your obliged Cousin, 

Geo. Elers. 

^ Viscountess Ashbrooke. 
^ Sir Charles Metcalfe. 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



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APPENDIX 

A List of the Officers who died during the 
Sixteen Years I was in the Regiment 

Lieutenant-Colonel Grey, Cape of Good Hope, 

November ..... 1796 

Captain Winstone, Prince of Wales' Island, Novem- 
ber ...... 1797 

Lieutenant Cassidy, Tanjore, April - - 1798 

Lieutenant Swyer, Pondicherri, June - - 1798 

Lieutenant William Gahan, June - - - 1798 

Colonel Hervey Aston, December 23, at Arnee - 1798 

Lieutenant George Nixon, killed Seringapatam - 1799 

Lieutenant Thomas Falla, killed Seringapatam - 1799 

Major Allen, at Seringapatam - - - 1799 

Lieutenant Perceval, at Seringapatam - - 1799 

Captain Buckeridge, at Seringapatam - - 1799 

Assistant-Surgeon Bagot, at Seringapatam - - 1799 

Ensign Walter Gahan, at Seringapatam - - 1799 

Lieutenant Edwards, Chitteldroog - - - 1799 

Lieutenant Langford, Wallajahbad - - 1800 

Lieutenant Grace, at Cuddalore - - - 1800 

Captain Whitlie, Pondicherri - - - 1800 
Lieutenant Gordon, died at sea coming from 

Batavia- . - . . . 1800 
Lieutenant Neville, died at sea coming from 

Batavia ..... 1800 

Lieutenant Parker, died at sea to the southward - 1801 

Major Woodall, at Madras - - . - 1802 

[ 310] 



ELERS MEMOIRS 311 

Lieutenant Shaw, at St. Helena - - - 1802 

Captain Erlam, Trichinopoli - - - 1804 

Dr. Campbell, fifty miles from Serin^'apatam - 1805 

Lieutenant Charles Rist, Seringapatam - - 1805 

Captain Cavendish, Seringapatam - - - 1805 

Captain Moyna, Seringapatam - - - 1805 

Captain Grant, Seringapatam - - - 1805 

Captain Gainfort, Seringapatam - - - 1805 

Lieutenant Jagger, Seringapatam - _ . 1805 

Quartermaster Stewart, Seringapatam - - 1805 

Paymaster Jenkins, Seringapatam - - - 1805 

Lieutenant Purdon, Seringapatam - - - 1805 

Major O'Keef, killed by cannon, Isle of I'Yance - 1809 
Major Wilson, died at Ceylon - - - i8og 

Captain John Rist, shot himself, Chelmsford. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Forsteen, died suddenly in 

Berkshire. 
Captain McKedy, wrecked off coast of Portugal. 
Major-General Picton, found dead in bed, Wales. 
Major Frith, died in India. 
Major-General Taylor, Isle of Wight. 
Major-General Harcourt, St. Croix, West Indies. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Hardy, West Indies. 
Captain Kater, England. 

Robert Erskine, Surgeon, London - - - 1828 

Together with upwards of 1,500 non-commissioned officers 

and private soldiers. 



INDEX 



Abkrcromby, Sir Ralph, iti 

Acheson, the Honourable Edward, 
A.D.C., and brother-in-law to 
Lord William Bentinck, 139 

Acland, Brigadier-General, 254, 255, 
266 

Adderley, Mrs. See Hobart, Lady 

Adderley, Miss. See Gardner, the 
Honourable Mrs. Alan 

Ainsley, Dr., 179 

Allen, Captain. See Allen, Major 

Allen, Major, 12th Regiment, 41, 
82, 84, 86, 87, 89, 275 

Amboor, Pass of, 90 

Amherst, Lord, Commander-in- 
Chief, 31 

Ampthill, 195-197 

Ancaster, Duke of, 253 

Andrews, Brigade Major, 153, 154 

Andrews, Dr., 262, 263 

Angelo, the fencing master, 15 

Anglesey, Marquess of {see Paget, 
Lord), 53, 221, 252 

Anguish, Mrs., 6 

Anstruther, Sir John and Lady, 158 

Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, 10 

Arcot, 83, 84 

Arcot, Nabob of, 64, 129 

Armstrong, Captain, A.D.C. to 
Lord Wellesley, 156 

Arnee, 81, 83, 84 

Ascot races, 73 

Ashbrook, Viscountess, 292 and note 

Ashe, Lieutenant, A.D.C. to Colonel 
Harcourt, 153 

Ashton, Lieutenant, 93 

Assaye, Battle of, 165, 182 

Aston, Henry Hervey, Lieutenant- 
Colonel, X2th Regiment, 36-38, 
41, 45, 47, 48, 50, 53, 57> 60, 64, 66- 
68, 71, 72, 75, 78, 79, 81,82,90, 108, 
167-169, 205; gets brevet rank 
of Colonel, 56 ; declines Colonel 
Wellesley's advice, 83 ; his two 

[3 



duels and death, 84-87 ; his be- 
quests, 88 

Aston, the Honourable Mrs., 50, 
190, 275, 276 

Attwood, Thomas, the organist, 
219 and note 

Aubrey, Major, 139 

Audle}-, Lord, 209 

Austerlitz, Battle of, 183 

Aylett, Colonel Sir William, 221, 
255 

Baden, daughter of Prince of, i 

Bailey, Lady Sarah, 244 

Baird, General, 104, 105 ; disap- 
pointed with his prize-money, 
99 ; generosity to Colonel Wel- 
lesley, 103; superseded by Colonel 
Wellesley, 105; supersedes Colonel 
Wellesley in command of Indian 
force for Egypt, 115 

Balasore, 152 

Baldey, J., R.N., 9 

Balfour, James, of Whittingehame, 
177 and note 

Bangalore, 98, 104, 107 

Banks, Miss Elizabeth, marries 
author's great-grandfather, 3 

Barabetty, fort of, 154 

Barclay, Captain, Deputy Adjutant- 
General at Seringapatam, 120 

Barlow, Colonel, commanding of- 
ficer of depot at Isle of Wight, 
214 

Barlow, Sir George and Lady, 158 

Barnett, Miss. See Rolls, Mrs. 

Barrackpore, 158 

Barrow, Rev. Dr. : his school in 
Soho Square, 19-23 

Barrymore, Countess of, 245 and 
note 

Bastille, destruction of the, 23 

Batavia, 108, no, 129 

Bath, 97 

5] 



JH 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



Beauchamp, Earl (see L3'gon, Cap- 
tain the Honourable), 247 
Beauclerk, Lady Mary. See Deer- 
hurst, Viscountess 
Becker, Joachim, 2 
Bedford, Francis, Duke of, 196 
Bedingfield, Sir Henry, 249 
Bell, Mrs. (ne'e Miss Louisa Colston), 

24. 25, 29, 194 
Bellairs, Major, 12th Regiment, 42, 

61 
Belli, Captain, i6th Dragoons, 246 
Belson, Sir Philip, commanding 

28th Regiment, 20 
Bentinck, Lady William, 139 
Bentinck, Lord William, Governor 

of Madras, 134, 135, 139, 173-175 
Berners, Lord (see Wilson, Major), 

12, 219, 226-234, 248 
Beverley, Earl of, 235 
Bhil robbers, 145, 146 
Bhurtpore, siege of, 163-165 
Biljury racecourse, 26 
Billington, the singer, 26 
Blackburne, Captain, military' resi- 
dent at Tanjore, 136 
Blake, the Misses, 6 and note 
Blatherwj'cke, Northamptonshire, 

II, and note, 231 
Blenheim Palace, 27 
Blessington, Earl of (see Mountjoy, 

Lord), 249 
Blunt, Mr., Bengal Infantry, 153 
Boerhave, 2 
Bond, Rev. Mr., Rector of Freston, 

224, 225 
Boothby, Sir William, Bart., 215 

and note 
Boswells, the, sons of author of the 

' Life of Johnson,' 22 
Bourbon, Duke of, 249 
Bourton, Oxfordshire, 5-7, 278 
Bowen, Lieutenant, loth Regiment, 

245 

Boys, a midshipman wounded on 
H.M.S. Qiieen Charlotte at the 
Battle of La Hogue, 20, 21 

Bracebridge, Mr. and Mrs. Walter, 
30 and note 

Brada Hall, Staffordshire, 3 

Bradshawe, Captain, A.D.C. to Lord 
Wellesley, 156 

Braham, the singer, 262 

Broke, Sir Philip, R.N., com- 
mander of H.M.S. Shannon, 235 

Bromley, Debonnaire fauiilj^ vault 
at, 34 

Brown, Colonel Archibald, 92, 98, 
130, 136-138 



Brown, Major, of Calcutta, 153, 

156-158 
Browne, Honourable George, 30 
Browne, Honourable Mrs. George 

{nee Miss Mary Colston), 24, 25, 

29, 194 and note 
Brownlow, Lady (nee Miss Fludx'er), 

231 

Brunswick, Duke of, 201 

Brydges, Major-General, E.I.C.S., 
129, 140 

Buckeridge, Captain, 12th Regi- 
ment, 93 

Bull, Captain, 34th Regiment, 171, 
172 

Bulwick Hall, Northamptonshire, 
8-11 

Burdett, Sir Francis, 203 

Burgos, retreat from, 212 

Burleigh, 10, 27, 231 

Burnaby, Lady, 39, 62 

Burnaby, Sir William, 39 

Butler, Lady E., 29 

Bygrave, Captain, 215 

Byng, the Hon. John, 47 and note 

Byron, Lord, first falls in love, 29; 
his peculiar ear, 56 

Calcraft, Colonel, Town Major at 
Calcutta, 156, 160, 161, 166, 167 

Calcutta, 156-161 

Cambridge, Duke of, 236, 239, 240 

Cameron, General Sir Ewen, 213 

Campbell, Captain, E.I.C. Artillery, 
66 

Campbell, Captain Boswell, 4th 
Regiment, 179, 182 

Campbell, Colonel Alexander, 74th 
Regiment, 148- 151 

Campbell, Dr., surgeon to 12th 
Regiment, 46, 85, 104-106, 145, 146 

Campbell, Lady Charlotte, 66 

Campbell, Mrs., 66 

Cannanore, 115, 116 

Cape Town, 43, 45, 52, 54-55, 58 

Cape Verde Islands, 51 

Cardigan, Lord, 10 

Carlton House, 49 

Carnac, Colonel John, Life Guards, 
242-243 

Carnac, Mrs. John {nee Miss Hen- 
rietta Wenyeve), 242 

Carr, Mr., 152 

Cassidy, Lieutenant, 12th Regi- 
ment, 80 

Catesby Abbe}', Northampton- 
shire, 8 

Cavendish, Lieutenant, 12th Regi- 
ment, 134, 135 



INDEX 



315 



Ceylon, S3, 134 

Charles I., portrait of, by Vand3'ke, 
231 

Charlotte, Queen of England, 33 

Chartley, Lady [nee Miss Dunn- 
Gardner). See Townshend, Mar- 
chioness of 

Chartley, Lord. See Townshend, 
Marquess of 

Cheltenham, 197, 198 

Chinnery, Miss, 46-48 

Chitteldroog, 144 

Christchurch Park, Ipswich, 250 

Christina, Queen of Sweden, 3 

Chudleigh, Rev. Mr., 216, 217 

Clarence, Duke of, 166, 167 

Clark, Mr. and Mrs., of Bulwick 
Hall, Northamptonshire, 8-10 

Clermont, Viscount, 248 

Clinton, Captain lyord, i6th Dra- 
goons, 246, 247 

Clonbrock, Lady, 19S 

Close, Colonel, of E.I.C.S., 123 

Cobbold, Mrs., 251 

Cochrane, Miss. See Woodall, 
Mrs., also Tuite, Lady 

Cochrane, the Honourable Basil, 
177 

Cockerell, Miss, 195 

Codrington, Admiral Sir Edward, 
R.N., 183 

Coleraine, Lord (see Hanger, 
George), 219 and note 

Collins, Colonel, 157 

Colston, Alexander, 24, 198 

Colston, Lieutenant-Colonel, 216, 
217 

Colston, Mrs. Alexander, 23, 195 

Colston, Mrs. Alexander, junior, 
198, 200 

Colston, Miss Louisa. See Bell, 
]\Irs. 

Colston, Miss Mary. See Browne, 
the Honourable Mrs. George 

Colston, Miss Sophia, 24-29 

Colston, Rev. Alexander, of Filkins 
Hal], Oxfordshire, 9, 23 

Colhton, Rev. Dr. William, of West 
Lydford, Somerset, 39 

Combermere, Viscount (see Staple- 
ton-Cotton, Lieutenant-Colonel), 
65, 67, 83, 84, 90, 163, 165, 204, 205, 
246 

Conjeveram, pagodas of, 74 

Constantia, 54 

Coorg, 112, 116-118 

Coorg, Rajah of, 112, 11 8- 120 

Coote, Sir Eyre, 137 

Copley. 6>^ Lyndhurst, Lord 



Cornwallis, Marquess, 137, 178 and 
note 

Coromandel monsoon, 70 

Cotiote, 112, 113, 116 

Cotiote, Rajah of, 112 

Coutts, Mr. and Mrs., 262 

Cowes, 40 

Craddock, Sir John, Commander- 
in-Chief at Madras, 164-166 

Craigie, Captain, 12th Regiment, 
See Craigie, Major 

Craigie, Major, 12th Regiment, 41, 
43, 46, 85, 86, 88, 95 

Cratloe Woods, County Clare, 11, 
note 

Crawford, Captain, 46, 48, 85, 107, 
lit, 114, 115, 127, 129, 140, 178, 
179, 186 

Crawford, Lieutenant, 12th Regi- 
ment. See Crawford, Captain 

Crawford, Mr., his school at Chis- 
wick, 14-20 

Crespign3s, the, of Aldborough, 244 

Crewe, General, 7 

Crewe, Lord, 7 

Crib, the prize-fighter, 249 

Crole, Mrs., 296-298 

Crouch, Mrs., the singer, 26 

Croziers, the, tailors of Panton 
Square, 88 

Crump, Colonel, and Mrs., of Allex- 
ton Hall, Leicestershire, 231 

Cullum, Sir Thomas, of Hardwick 
House, 225, 226, 237 

Cumberland, Duchess of, 166 

Cunningham, General, E.I.C.S., 
and Mrs., 179 

Curling, Dr., 207, 208 

Curling, Mrs. (nee Miss Hutchin- 
son), 207 

Curtis, Lady, 96 

Curtis, Mr. William, 194 and note, 

195 
Curtis, Sir William, Bart., of Cul- 

lard's Grove, 194 and note 
Cuttack, 142 

Dai^rymple, Captain Hugh, 19th 

Regiment, 139 
Dalrymple, Captain Kerby (brother 

of above), 74th Regiment, 107, 

139 
Darke, Miss Rebecca Juliana. See 

Floyd, Lady 
Darke, Mr. Charles, of Madras, 129 
Dawes, Mr., 249 
Debonnaire, John, 34 
Debonnaire, Miss Anne. See Ten- 

nant, Mrs. William 



3i6 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



Deboiinaire. Miss Elizabeth. St't- 

Rlers, Mrs. Paul George 
Deboniiaire. Mrs. John (fi/r Miss 

Ann Tennant), 34 and note 
Deerluirst, Viscount, 245 
Deerhurst, Viscountess (««'• Lady 

Mary Beauclerk), 244 and note, 

245 
De Grey, Major the Honourable 

Georg^e, 22nd Liglit Dragoons. 

StY Walsinghani. Lord 
Delaval. Sir Francis Blake, S 
Derby. Captain, lotli Regiment, 

245". 254 
Derby, George Eld, subaltern, 12th 

Regiment, 43 
Devonshire, Duke of, 134 
Diamond Harbour. i6i 
Didlington, Norfolk, 226, 227, 232 
Dodwell, Colonel. ;4th Regiment, 

173 

Dormer. Lord, 8 

Dormer, the Honourable Messrs., 
20 

Douglas. CajUain. R.N., 215, 216 

Douglases, the, 20 

Dovetoii. Captain, coinmatiding 
Lord Wollesley's bodyguaril, 15b 

Dowlett Bagh, palnce of 103, 120 

Doyle, Lieutenant Bentinck, 169, 
170 

Draper, Captain, iSi 

Dum Dum, 15S 

Duncan, the Honourable INIiss, 197 

Dundonald, Earl of. 125 

LHinn-Gardner. INIiss. Sc'c' Chart- 
ley, Lady, and Townshend, Mar- 
chioness of 

Dunn-Gardner, Mr. William, 206, 
20S, 209 

DuTui-Gardncr, !\Irs. William, 206 

Durnfords, the. 20 

Dutch fleet, the, 45, 52 

Dutch women at the Cape, their 
looks, 54, 55 

Dysart, Earl of, 244 

EdoeworTh, Miss Maria, 267, 277- 
296 

Edgeworth. Mr., of Carisbrook, Isle 
of Wight, 215. 216 

Edgeworth, Richard Lovell, 6 note, 
7 note, 8, 9, 267 

Elba, Bonaparte's return from, 212 

Elers' ancestry. 1-3 

Elers. David, great chemist, con- 
nection with Wedgwood's Staf- 
fordshire potteries, 3, 4 

Elers, Edward, autlior's brotlier, 



13, 39, 217. 21S, 223: birtli. i; 
enters Royal Navy. 32 ; in action, 
33 ; third Lieutenant of the Orian 
at Trafalgar, 183; in action on 
the AtnKc off Lisbon, 183 ; sent 
prisoner to Alexaiulria, 184 ; in 
Lord St. Vincent's action. Feb- 
ruary 14. 1797. on board the Prince 
Gtvrof, 184; marriage with Miss 
Younghusband, 201 
Elers, George, birth, i ; ancestry, 
1-8; childhood, 8-13; at Mr. 
Crawford's school at Chi.swick, 
14-20; at Dr. Barrow's school in 
Soho Square, 19-23 ; visits the 
Colstons, 23- 28; death o( his 
mother, 33 ; gazetted to 90th 
Regiment, 36; becomes Lieu- 
tenant in 12th Regiment. 36; 
joins regiment at Newport, Isle 
of Wight. 39 ; embarks tor the 
Cape, 45: reaches Capetown. 52; 
reaches Matlras, 58; embarks tor 
Manila, 68; delayeil at Penang, 
69; returns to Madras. 71 ; reaches 
Tanjore, 75 ; witnesses suttee. 76, 
77 ; witnesses restoration of Snf- 
frajeh at Tanjore. 78, 79; arrives 
at Arnee, 81 ; delayed by illness 
on the march to Mysore, 91 : sick 
at Seringapatam, 92, 93 ; resigns 
his right to purchase coinp'^ny, 
95 ; witnesses restoration of de- 
scendant of former Rajahs of 
Mysore. 98 ; marches to Banga- 
lore, 98; leaves for Madras, 104; 
at St. Thom^, Madras, 107 ; re- 
joins regiment at Wallahjahbad, 
107; remains there in charge of 
sick, 108; rejoins regiment at 
PoonaTnallee, 109; marches to 
the Mysore country, no; expe- 
dition to Cotiote, 112; in action 
there, 113; at Talatcheri, 114: 
with Colonel Wellesley through 
Cotiote country, 116, 117; Rajah 
of Coorg's visit, 118, 119; at Se- 
ringapatam with Colonel Wel- 
lesley, 1 20- 1 26 ; wins ritling wager. 
129 ; arrives at Trichinopoli. 129; 
wns horserace, 131 ; promoted 
Captain. 135 ; at Negapatam and 
Tanjore. 136; at Pondicherri and 
Madras. 138; kills a cobra. 140; 
visits Colonel Harcourt at Cut- 
tack, 142 ; loses his plate and 
tent, 143: athletic feats, 144; his 
pets, 144; his servant Francis, 
147; leaves regiment, 147; lakes 



INDEX 



3' 7 



]);irt in naval enp(aj<enient at 
Viz.'i^^apalani, T50, 151 ; visits 
Colonel Ilarcourt at Cuttack, 
i.';.'^; visits Calcutta, 156; sails to 
IMadras, 161 ; arrested by mis- 
take, 174, 175; does duty with 
73rd Re;(iiiieiil, 175; sails from 
Madras f(jr Ivn^^jaud, 179; arrives 
in Ivnj^land, /86; bribes the Cus- 
toms, 18.S; visits Colonel Thorn- 
ton at r'alconer's Hall, Yorkshire, 
192; visits Clieltenham, 197; re- 
visits I-'ilkins Hall, hjH; waits on 
J)uke of York, 20J ; subscribes to 
]niblic dinner to I^ord Wellesley, 
203 ; scheme for elopinj^ with 
Miss Dunn-Oardner, 207 ; friend- 
ship with vSir Thomas Picton, 
211; ji^oes to tlie depot at the Isle 
of Wight, 214; returns to I])swich, 
22r ; goes to Maidstone, 222; at 
Jsle of Wight, 223; back at Ips- 
wich, 224; intimacy with Major 
Wilson, 226-234; friendship with 
Mr. John Vernon, 240; a carriage 
accident, 241 ; stationed at Stow- 
market, 255 ; liurt in carriage 
accident, 26fj-262 ; ordered to 
Maldon, Kssex, 263; disappointed 
of his majority, 264, 265 ; wishes 
to return to India, 266, 267 ; re- 
signs the .Service, 268; engage- 
ment broken off, 268, 269. In 
Correspondence: refuseil promo- 
tion by tlie iJuke of Welling- 
ton, 270, 271 ; refused by the Duke 
of Wellington honorary medal for 
the Hattle of Fuentes d'Onor as 
executor of his brother. Major 
Hungerforrl Elers, 27;, 272; ap- 
plies to Duke of Wellington for 
employment, 272-274; applica- 
tion refused, 274; offers New- 
foundland dog to Duke of Wel- 
lington, whicli the Duke declines, 
274; residuary legatee to the Rev. 
Thomas Speidell, 286 ; congratu- 
lates Lord Monson on his acces- 
sion, 307, yjH; describes ball in 
Jersey in honour of the birth of 
the Prince of Wales (King P>1- 
■ward VII.), 3fj8 

Klers, Ilungerford Richard, 43rd 
Regiment, author's brother, 34, 
138, 2orj, 20[, 271, 272; birth, i ; 
gazetted to ensigncy, 31 ; quar- 
tered at Colchester, 226; dies at 
Celerico, Spain, 263 

ivlers, John Philip, great chemist, 



author's great-grandfather, 2, 4; 
connection with Wedgwood's 
Staffordshire potteries, 3, 284 

Klers, Martin, 2 

Idlers, Mrs. Ivdward (ntfe Miss 
Younghusltand), 20;, 223 

Klers, Mrs. Paul Oeorge («Ar Miss 
Elizabeth Debonnaire), jmthor's 
mother, 12, 13; marriage, 6 note; 
death, 33 

Klers, Paul George, 70th Regiment, 
author's father, 5, 13 ; marriage, 
6; his pecuniary difficulties, 32 

lillis, Mr., natural son of the Ivarl 
of iiuckinghamshire, 143 

I^lrington, Major, commanding 
officer at the Tower, 210 

P^ngle/ield Green, 79 

lirskine, Dr., assistant- surgeon, 
I2tli Regiment, 86, 108 

Kssex, Countess of {nre Miss Kitty 
vStephens), 258-26fj and note, 262 

Kustace, Lieutenant, J2tli Regi- 
ment, 95, 96 

Ewen, Major, of the Scotch Bri- 
garle, 52 

Ivxeter, Marquess of, 231 

Exeter, ninth Piarl of, 10 

FAr^coNKR's Hali^, Yorkshire, 191, 

192 
Falla, Lieutenant, 12th Regiment, 

«7,9' 
I'ancourt, Colonel, 34tli Regiment, 

173 
P'ane, Lady Augusta, 10 
P'ernand de Noronha, j8i 
I'"eucheres, Madame, 249 
P'ilkins Ilall, Oxfordshire, 9, 28, 

198-200 
Fisher, Acting Lieutenant, R.N., 

53 

I'itzgerald, Lieutenant, /oth Regi- 
ment, 245 

Fitzpatrick, the Ladies, 195 and 
note 

Fitz-Roy, Ivf^rd Charles, 219 

P'^lannigan, Kitty (see Flenary, Mar- 
garet), J I 

P'lenary, Margaret (see Flannigan, 
Kitty), I J note 

P'loyd, General Sir John, Bart., 
J 9th Light Dragoons, 129 

Floyd, Lady {nee Miss Rebecca 
Juliana Darke), 129 note 

Floyd, Miss Julia. See J'cc], Lady 

Fludyer, Sir Samuel, lo, 2JO, 253 

Fludyer, the Misses. See Onslow, 
Countess of, and Brownlow, Lady 



iS 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



Founereau. the Kov. Charles Wil- 
liam, ot" CUristchviivh. Ipswich. 
34g aiul iioto. ^50 

Forstoou. Captain, uth Rogimeut. 
Sc-e" Forstoen, Coloticl 

Forsteen, Colonel. 14^;. rtvj. 

Fortesoue. Mr.. 153, 154 

Fort St. Gt:H">nje, Madr.ts, 5^-67. 73. 
106. U17 

I'ort William, 156 

Fox. Charles James, 196 

Fra.'.er. Captain Hastings, i::th 
Revriment, 134 

Frazer. Gener.il. i^i 

Fuller, Sir Toseph. iS 

Fuller. William. iS 

Gahan. Lientenant William, uth 

Rej^iment, So 
Ganlner, Admiral Lord. 66 
Ganiner. Csptain the Honourable 

Alan. R.X., 66 and note 
Garvlner peera!>-e, claim to the. 

67 
Gardner, the Honourable Mrs. 

Alan («<V Miss Adderley), 66 and 

note. 07 
Garrard, Lieutenant of Engineers, 

176, 179 
Garrow. Mr., F.I.C.S.. 179. 186 
George IlL. 65 
Gt?or5>e IV.. :;q6-?ckS 
Gibraltar, sies^e of. 41. 4.;, 65 
Gill. Lady Harriett. i9vS 
Goddard. Captain, loth Kooment. 

Gorvlon, Captain, 73rtl Regiment, 

Gonion, 
Gorvlon, 

200 
Gordon Riots, the. S 
Gore. Sir John. 178 
Gosport. 39 
Graham, Colonel of the 90th Reg^i- 

ment. >\v Lynedoch, Lord 
Graham's Club. 139 
Gramo. Mr.. 153 
Gramiiioiit. Lieutenant Count de. 

loth Regimetit. 245 
Great Russell Street, i. 6 
Grev, General Sir Charles, 36 
Grey. Earl, 36 
Grey, Thomas, Lieutenant-Colonel 

of the \2th Regiment, 36 and 

note, 58 
Grosvenor. Mr.. 4. 5 
Gw-illam. Sir Henry, Judge at 

Madras, 171, 172 



Lieutenant, R.X.. 69 
ilajor, 34th Regiment. 



H.\Mll.TOX. Duke of, 6>.) 

Haniivr. Gei-irge. X-v Coleraine, 
Lord 

Harborvnigh. Earl of, u% u 

Harcourt. Colonel. Sev Haroourt, 
^lajor-General Georvj^ William 
Richard 

Hatcourt. Major-General George 
William Richanl, 6. m, 114, 115. 
127-iJi), 15J-154. 15(1. jtv"^. J70. .'76: 
takes command of uth Regi- 
ment. 109 and note ; his ap- 
pearance and popularity. 1 10 ; 
commands brigade in Cotiote 
Expeditiotj. wi; his coolness 
unuer fire. 113: takes Lord Wel- 
lesley's despatches to luiglund, 
I ;4 ; appointed secretary to l.oal 
Wellesley, i4> 

Harcourt, Simon, Earl of 5, 6 

Harland, L.ndy \H(r Miss Arethusa 
VernonV .:.:5, .;.:6. ^37 

Harland, Sir Robert, J. '6, 235. 236 

Harris, General. 10. 102; snubbed 
by the Puke of York, 103 

ILnrrisoji, the singer, j6 

HiU-tley, Lientenant, 36th Regi- 
ment. 81. 8j 

Hastitigs. Colonel Sir Charles. i.;th 
Regiineiu, .265 and note 

Hastings. Marquess ot". Governor- 
General of India. 267 

Hawkins, William. E.LC.S.. 130, 
132. 133. 137, 138 

Hayward, Sir Thonuis. of Perk- 
shire. 71 

Ha.lerigg. Sir Arthur, of Nosely 
Hall, Leicester. 231 

Heuuiker. Lord. 194 and note 

Henriett.i Maria, (Jueen of Eng- 
land. 2 ; portrait of by Vaud> ke, 

Henry VIIL. his portrait by Hol- 
bein. 227 

Hertford. ^Marchioness of. 190 

Hertford. Marquess of, 139 

Hervey. INlaJor Felton, 14th Dra- 
goons, 246 

Higgins. Mrs.. 198 

Hindoo women, their sjnnmetrical 
figures. 80 

Hobart, Lad}- (ScY Adderlev, ;Mrs.), 
66 

Hobart, Lord, Governor of Madras, 
66 

Hodges, Mrs,, 247 

Hodgkin, Mr., of Tixover. 231 

Holbein, Hans, his portrait of 
Henrv VIIL, 227 



INDEX 



3^9 



Ifolkar, 135, 164 

Jlopkins, Captain, Royal Marines.g 

Iloul'iilch, of Ijon^ Acre, carriage 

Iniilder, 97 
Jlouston, Ivieiit(;naiit, R.N., 69 
llu'^hcH, Captain, 74th Regiment, 

A.J>.C. to Colonel Wclleslcy, 103 
Hun^erford, Miss, marries author's 

jjatcrnal i^randfatlier, 5 
Hutchinson, I/ieutenant, Adjutant 

to Sir Williani Aylett, 221 
ilutcliinson. Miss, 35, 136, 2rj6, 207 
ifutcliinson, Miss N. See I/ambert, 

Mrs. 
Hutchinson, Mr. (Mrs. P. G. Klers' 

trustee), 34, 35, 37, 79, 95, 135, 

188, 189 
ilyder Ali, 92, 98 

iNCivEDON, the singer, 219 and note 
Innis, Colonel, 75 
Ifjswich, 22J, 224 
Irwin, Mr., 130, J3/ 

Jackson, Mr. Scott, 91 
Jadis, Mr. Henry, 66 note, 67 
Jaj(;^er, Jvieutenant, paymaster to 

J 2th Regiment, 143 
Jellicoe, Miss, 1^) and note 
Jenkins, Miss. See Merest, Mrs. 

John 
Johnson, I.ieutenant, 34th Regi- 
ment, J72 
Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Prior, of 
Aldljorough and Bosmere, 243, 
2.55, 257 
Joli ffe, William, 20 
Juggernaut, 155 

Kran, the tragedian, 25; 

Keate, George, 8 

Kedah, 70 

Keeley, Mrs., the actress, 25; 

Keith, Colonel, 138 

Keith, Lord, 52 ; captures Dutch 
fleet, 45 

Kelly, Michael, the singer, 26, 2/9 
and note 

Kemble, John Philip, 55 

Kerhy, Rev. John, of Bulwick, 
Northamptonshire, 8 

Kerrison, Major, 7th Ilussars (after- 
wards Sir Kdward Kerrison), 246, 
252, 253 

Key, Captain Peter, Native In- 
fantry, 132 

Kii worth, L<jrd, 248 

King, Ensign, 12th Regiment. See 
King, Lieutenant 



King, Lieutenant, 46, 130 

Kirkpatrick, Colonel, of Notting- 
ham Place, jHf), 188 

Kippen, 'Cornet,' /o4-ifj6 

Kishnagherry, fort of, 9/ 

Kutzjehen, J',aron, A.lJ.C.toColonel 
Harcourt, 153 and note, 154 

Ladk, vSir John and Lady, 245 and 

note 
Laing, Captain, Iv.I.C.S., 130 
Lake, General. See Lake, l^)r<l 
Lake, Lord, 135, 163- 165 
Lai Uagh, palace of, 92 
ambi 

170 



h,jrj 



Lambert, Captain Jlenry, 148, 169, 



Lambert, Mrs. {n^e Miss N. Hutch- 
inson), 39, 193 

Langford, Lieutenant, ;2th Regi- 
ment, !fjH 

Lanza, the music-master, 259 

Lasswarry, battle of, 154 

Leeds, Duchess of, 6 

Leicester, I'^arl of. See Townshend, 
Marquess of 

Leicester, Josceline, seventh Karl 
of, 30 and note 

Lennon, Major and Mrs., 130 

Lind, Commander, in charge of 
Cenlurum, 148- 151 

Lindsay, Honourable Hugh, Com- 
mander of the Rockingham, East 
Indiaman, 45, 4><, 55 

Lindsey, Countess of, 231 

Lindsey, Earl of, 2.53 

Linois, Admiral, 148, f8f 

Linsengen, Huron, 240 

Liston, the actor, 21 

Little Aston Hall, Staffordshire, 
96 

Long, Lady Catherine, 248 

Ivong, Miss. See Wellesley, Mrs. 
William Pole Tylney I/jng 

Lonsdale, Earl of (see lyjwther, Sir 
James), 10 

Iv^jsack, Lieutenant-Colonel, 301- 
3rj6 

JjfjUMi Bonaparte, King of Holland, 

233 
Ivowther, Sir James. See Lonsflale, 

Earl of 
Lygon, Captain the Honourable. 

See Beauchamp, Earl 
Lyndhurst, Ivord (5^^ Copley), 17 
Lynedoch, Ivord (see Graham, 

Colonel), 36 

McInnis, Mr., Persian interpreter 
to Colonel Harcourt, 153 



320 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



'h 



Maciutire, Captain. K.I.C. Artillery, 

123, 126 
Macleod. Captain, 12th Regiment, 

115 
Maclooil. Lieutenant, Adjutant of 

74tli Regiment, 59 
McMorris! Dr.. 91 
ISIacnamara. Captain, 196 
jNIadeira, 51 
]Madras, 43. 54. 5S-60, 106, 107, 134, 

138. 171 
IVIahratta War. 135 
IMaidslone. 222 

INIaintz, Elector of. 2 and note, 
INIalcolm, Captain, R.N., tox 

frigate. 45 
jManantaudi. 114 
^lanby, Admiral. 249 
^landeville. Lieutenant - Colonel. 

R.l.C. Artillery. 125 
Manila, expedition against. 68. 70 
Manners. INIajor Lord Charles, loth 

Regiment, 245 
Planners. ISLajor Lord Robert. loth 

Regiment. 245 
]\Iansell, Sir William. 231 
I\L\ra. INIadame, the singer, 10 
^largetts. ^Nlr., 209 and note. 210 
IMarrie. I\Ir.. Lieutenant of the 

Marines. 242 
IMaxtone, INIiss Caroline. Sec 

Moore. Mrs. 
Maxtone. Mrs.. 162 
Meade, Lieutenant the Honourable 

John, 12th Regiment. 40. 46. 72 
:Meer AUum. Mahratta Prince, 100 
Mein, Captain. 74th Regiment, 

179 
Mein. Dr. Pulteney. 100 
JMelville. Lord, his trial, 193 
Melville. Mr., 153 
Meudoza. Daniel, the pugilist, 219 

and note 
Wercer, Colonel, 22nd Regiment, 

164 
Llerest. John, of Linford Hall, 24S. 

249 
Merest Mrs. John {nee Miss Jen- 
kins). 24S 
^Metcalfe, Sir Charles, 2S7 and note, 

307 

Metcalfe, Sir Thomas, Bart., 205 
and note 

iSIiddleton. Sir William, of Shrub- 
land Hall. 243. 255 

IVIildert. Daniel van, 2 

Milner. Captain, R.N., of H.M.S. 
Tf idctit, 68. 69 

Minden, Battle of, 65, 66 



IMoira. Countess of, 267, 27S, 280 and 

note 
iMolyneux, the prize-fighter, 249 
iVIonckton, Colonel, of Fineshade, 
Northamptonshire. A.D.C. to 
Lord William Rentinck, il, 139, 

253 
^Monckton. INIrs.. of Fineshade, 

Northamptonshire. 11 
iSIoneypenny. Lieutenant-Colonel, 

73rd Regiment, 164, 175 
Monson. Colonel the Honourable 

William. 164 
Monson, Lord (^cY^Ionson, William 

John), 306-30S 
Monson. W^illiam John, afterwards 

sixth Lord Monson, 164 
^lonteilh. Captian, 179 
iNIontgoniery, Colonel, 196 
IMoore, Lieutenant, 34th Regiment, 

173 

Moore, Mrs. (;/<V Miss Caroline 
jMaxtone). 162 

Moore. Sir John, 200 

Morant, Mr., of the Somerset 
IMilitia. 254 

Morland, the painter. 219 

Mornington, fourth Earl of( William 
Pope Tylney Long Wellesley), 
247 and note, 24S 

IVIornington, Earl of See Welles- 
ley, ^larquess of 

INIorris, Captain, 73rd Regiment, 175 

Morton, the dramatic author, 21 

Moss, Captain. R.N.. of the Mer- 
maid frigate, 32 

Mother Bank, the. 50 

Mountjoy. I^ord (see Blessington, 
Earl of). 249 

Mulgrave. Lord. 204 

Muliins. the Honourable Mrs.. 19S 

Murrav. the Honourable Alex- 
ander, E.I.C.S., 149 

Mj-sore, 98, no- 112 

N.\PiER. Edward Hungerford De- 
laval Elers. nephew of author, 
his account of the defeat of Don 
Miguel's fleet by his stepfather. 
Captain Napier, 29S-301 

Napier, George Charles Elers, 
R.N., 298-300 and note, 298 

Napier, IVLajor. 50th Regiment, 223 

Napier. Rear-Admiral Sir Charles, 
K.C.B., 298, 299 and note 

Napier, Sir William, 43rd Regi- 
ment. 200 and note. 272 

Nash, Captain of the Princess Maiy, 
71 



INDEX 



321 



Negapatam, 63, 136 

Neville, the three Misses, 195 

Newport, Isle of Wight, 39, 40, 44, 

214-217 
Nicholas, Emperor of Russia, 194 
Nixon, Captain Robert, 12th Regi- 
ment, 46, 92, 107, III, 112, 132, 133 
Nixon, George, subaltern, 12th 

Regiment, 42, 46, 91, 92 
Nixon, General Sir Kccles, 54 
Nixon, Lieutenant Robert, 12th 

Regiment. See Nixon, Captain 
Noel, the Honourable Miss. See 

the Honourable Mrs. Stafford 

O'Brien 
North, Mr. Dudley, 244 
North, Mr., Governor of Ceylon, 

134, 270 
Nuneham Park, 6 

O'Brien, Captain William, 12th 
Regiment. See Thomond, Mar- 
quess of 

O'Brien, Mr., of Blatherwick Hall, 
Northamptonshire, 11, 231 

O'Brien, Stafford, 11 

O'Brien, the Honourable Mrs. 
Stafford {nee Miss Noel), 12 

Ogg, Major, E.I.C.S., Persian in- 
terpreter to Colonel Wellesley, 

"5, 119 
Ogilvie, Lieutenant-Colonel, 300 
Onslow, Countess of {nee Miss 

Fludyer), 231 
Ornie, Miss, 195 
Ormonde, Marquess of, 249 
Orwell, Baron (Karl of Shipbrook), 

235 
Orwell Park, 225, 226, 235, 236 
Oxford, 26, 28 

Page, Admiral, 250 

Paget, Lord, commanding 80th 
Regiment. See Anglesey, Mar- 
quess of 

Palmer, Lieutenant-Colonel, loth 
Regiment, 245 

Parker, Lady Hyde, 244 

Parkhursts, of Catesby Abbey, 
Northamptonshire, 8 

Parr}-, George, 17 

Parry, Henry, 17, 152 

Parry, Richard, 16, 17 

Pater, Colonel, 141 

Patterson, Captain, 181 

Paul, Mr., 202, 203 

Payton, Miss, 46-48 

Peel, Lady {nee Miss Julia Floyd), 
129 



Peel, Sir Robert, Bart., M.P., 129 

Pegu, 133 

Pel ham, Honourable Charlotte, 97 

Pel ley. Major, i6th Dragoons, 246 

Pelly, Captain, 161, 162 

Penang, 69-71 

Penshurst Place, Kent, 30 

Perceval, Lieutenant, 12th Regi- 
ment, 42, 46, 93 

Perry, Mrs., 30 and note 

Petrie, Mr. and Mrs., 46 

Petti ward, Roger, of Finborough 
Park, Stowniarket, 2.5.5 

Phipps, General, 204, 205 

Phipps, Sir William, 4 

Picton, Colonel William, 12th Regi- 
ment. See Picton, General 
William 

Picton, General vSir Thomas, 41, 
210-214, 268 

Picton, General William {nee Picton, 
Colonel William), 36, 65, 132, 140, 
141, 2x4, 265 

Picton, Major John, 12th Regiment, 
41, 61, 75, 78, 81-83, 85, ^9. iiOj 
129, 134, 135, 1.39 

Picton, Rev. Edward, 213 

Pigott, Sir George, Bart., 11 

Pindar, Peter, 219 and note 

Polygars, the, no, 129 

Pondicherri, 63, 74, 138 

Ponsonby, Honourable Miss, 29 

Poonamallee, 108, 109 

Porteus, Bishop of London, 30, 49 

Portland, Duke of, installation as 
Chancellor of Oxford University, 
26 

Portobello, 235 and note 

Portsmouth, 50 

Prescot, Captain of Artillery, 129 

Price, Lieutenant, 12th Regiment, 
III 

Price, Mr. Washinj^ton, assistant- 
surgeon, I2th Regiment, in, 112, 
132, 133 

QUEENSBERRY, Duke of, 214 

Quintin, Captain, 10th Regiment, 
245 

Rainier, Captain Spratt, com- 
mamling the Centurion, 148 

Rainier, Rear-Admiral, command- 
ing Indian fleet, 39, 62 

Ranelagh, 168 

Read, Captain, 158- 161 

Read, Colonel, 92, 98 

Rennel, Captain, A. D.C. to Sir John 
Craddock, 164 

21 



322 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



Ricardo. Mv., 96 

Richaiilson, 49 

Rioluirdson, Dr.. iSo 

Kiolumlson. Lady Elizabeth, 197 

Richmond, Duke of, 56 

Ritso, Captain. 179 

Robarts, Captain, loth Regiment, 

Roebuck. Ensign, Engineers, 179 

Roebuck. Mrs.. 220 

Rolls, ISlrs. (fur Miss Barnett), 19S 

aiul note 
Romanville. INIarquis de, 27 
Rowe. hieuleuaut, R.N.. 69 
Rowley. Sir William, 239 
Ruding. Captain, 12th Regiment, 

55- 7'i. 72 
Ruding. Mrs. (wtV IVIiss Jemima 

Smith). 46-4S. S5. 5S 
Russell. Lady William, 4S 
Russell, I\lrs. William («<V Miss 

Susanna Wilson), of Stubbers, 

Essex, 227 and note, 229 
Rust. ]Mr.. of Slow-market, 255 
Rutland. Duke of, 20, 22S 

Sapi.kr's Wici.T.S. 23 

St. Croix, West Indies, 6 

St. John, Colonel the Honourable 
G.. 125 

St. Lucia, West Indies, 72 

St. Sebastian, account of the storm- 
ing of, 301-303 

St. Thome, Madras, 64, 107, 139 

St. Vincent, Cape, defeat of Don 
INIiguel's fleet by that of Don 
Pedro, of Portugal, under Cap- 
tain Napier's comnuiiul, 299 

Sale, Lieutenant Robert, 12th Regi- 
ment. :See' Sale, Colonel 

Sale. Colonel Robert. 13th Regi- 
ment, III, 128 

Salisbury, Marquess of, 243 

Sands, Lieutenant, 34th Regiment, 
171, 172 

Saugor Lsland, 161 

Saunders. Lieutenant, Derby 
Militia. 244 

Saxon. Lieutenant-Colonel. E.LC. 
Artillery, 125 

Scarborough. Earl of. 219 

Scheltky. Dr.. of the Scotch Bri- 
gade, 105, 106 

Schmederu, Baron, 7th Hussars, 

^ 24S 

Schwartz, Gemiau missionary, ^S 

Scindiah. 135 

Seringapatam, 57, S7, 91, 94, 112, 
115, 120, 122, 123, 125, 12S, 130, 133, 



144, 163 : prize-money after cap- 
ture of, 9S-UX) 

Shanklin Chine. 44 

Shannon. Earl of, 249 

Shawe, Colonel, 156 

Sliawe. Lieutenant-Colonel Robert 
('Old Sour Crout"), 94. 109 

Shelley. Sir John of Gipping, 256 

Sherard. Lady Anna Maria, 231 

Sheridan, 49 

Shipbrook, Earl of (Barou Orwell), 

235 
Skerrett, Captain, 65th Regiment, 

.173-175 

Sidney, Sir Johti, Bart., 30 

Simeon, Lieutenant, loth Regi- 
ment, 245 

Smart, the painter, 34 

Smith, IMiss Henrietta, 46- 48 

Smith, Miss Jemima. Sir Ruding, 
Mrs. 

Smith, Sir Henry, 19S 

Sueyd, Mr., of Keele, Stafford- 
shire, 3 

Sober, Miss Sarah. Sa' Wood, 
IMrs. Sampson Tickell 

Somerset. Captain Lord William, 
10th RegimeTit. 245 

Somerset. Lord EitzRoy, 272 

'Sour Crout, Old.' .SV;' Shawe, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert 

Spring-Rice, IMr., of the Treasurj', 
afterwards Lord aionteagle, 285 
and note 

Stamford races, 231 

Stanhope, Honourable and Rev. 
Eitz-Roy, 2.^7 aiul note 

Stanhope. Honourable Mrs. Fitz- 
Roy {/ic'e Miss Wyudham), 247 
atui note. 

Stanhope, Lieutenant the Honour- 
able Francis, loth Regiment, 245 

Stanhope, IMajor Liuooln, 16th 
Dragoons, 246, 247 

Stapleton - Cotton. Lieutenant - 
Colonel, commanding 22nd Light 
Dragoons. StV Combermere, Vis- 
count 

Stephens, Miss Kitty. See Essex, 
Countess of 

Ste]iheiison, Colonel, of Madras 
Cavalry, 112, 122 

Stephenson, Mrs., 122 

Stewart, General, 213 

Stirke, Lieutenant-Colonel, 12th 
Regiment, 265, 2t>6 

Stisted, Colonel, 250 

Storace, Signora, the singer, 26, 53 

Stonrton, Lord, 191 



INDEX 



3'^3 



Stovin, Colonel, 17th Regiment, 

164 
Streatfielfl, Henry, of Chidding- 

stone, Kent, 30 note 
Streatfield, Miss, 30 and note, 31, 

49 
Streatfield, Mrs., 30 and note, 31, 49 
Sturt, Major William Ashle}-," Both 

Regiment, 57 
Sturt, Mrs. William Ashley, 57 
SufTrajeli, Rajah of Tanjore, 78 
Sumner, Mr. Home, 169 
Sunbury, 22, 23 
Surcouff, 170 
Suttee, 76-78 
Swinton, Captain, 74th Regiment. 

Sec Swinton, Lieutenant-Cf>lonel 
Swinton, Lieutenant-Colonel, 74th 

Regiment, 48, 179 

Tahi.k Bay, 52 

Talatclieri, 114, 1 15 

Talbot, Colonel, 14th Dragoons, 

246 
Tanjore, 72, 74, 7.5, 78, 80 
Tavistock, Marquess of, JO'S 
Temple Newsam, Yorkshire, 190 
Teneriffe, Peak of, 51 
Tennant, Honourable Mrs., 136 
Ten n ant. Miss Ann. See Debon- 

naire, Mrs. John 
Tennant, Mrs. William («/<? Miss 

Anne Debonnaire), 34 and note, 

9^' 97> 1.3^. i9^J. 191 

Tennant, William, of Little Aston 
Hall, Staffordshire, 96 

Thomond, Marquess of (see O'Brien, 
Captain William), 68, 69, 72, 73 

Thompson, Major, Town Major at 
Ma'lras, 174, 175 

Thornville Royal, 191 

Thornhill, Thomas, of Fixby, York- 
shire, 50 and note 

Thornton, Colonel, 191, 218, 220, 

233 
Tickell, Mr., 49 
Timbrell, Captain, 179, i8r 
Tipj;oo .Sultan, 70, 81, 92, i2r, 123 
Titian, Venus by, at Wherstead 

Lodge, 239 
Torin, Benjamin, resident at Tan- 
jore, 78, 79, 9.5, 98, 104 
Torrington, Viscount, 47 
Torrington, Viscountess, 224 
Townshend, Lord Charles, 2;o 
Townshend, Marchioness of {nee 
Miss Dunn-Gardner, afterwards 
Lady Chartley), 206-209, 207 note, 
210 note 



Townshend, Marques.s of (see 
Chartley, Lord), 207-2/0 

Townshend, Marquess of (see Lei- 
cester, Ivarl of), 207, 210 and note 

Trafalgar, JJattle of, 183 

Trapand, Colonel, iv.LC. Engi- 
neers, 176 

Travancore, 163 

Trelawny, I^ady, 2or 

Trichinopoli, 128, 129, 132, 14.5, 147 

Trinity College, (Jxforfl, 28 

Trollojje, Sir John, 23; 

Tryon, Mr., of Bulwick Hall, 9, 253 

Tuite, Lady (n^e Miss Janet Coch- 
rane, afterwards Mrs. Wood all), 
124 and note, 126 

Tuite, vSir George, Bart., 124 note, 
125 

Turton, Dr., 22 

Twysden, vSir William, 231 

Tyler, Major, A.D.C. to Sir Thomas 
Picton, 2/3 

Urk, Dr. and Mrs., 179, 186-188 

Vandvkk portraits of Charles L 
and Henrietta Maria, 231 

Veil ore, 90, 173 

Vellum, 75, 78, 79 

Vernon, Admiral, 235 and note, 236, 
238 

Vernon, General, 239 

Vernon, Miss Arethusa. See Har- 
lan d. Lady 

Vernon, Mr. John, 22.5, 226, 234- 
239, 241, 243 and note, 244, 248, 

253, 257 
Vernon, Mr. Levcson, of Knodgill, 

vSuffolk, 243 and note 
Vernon, Rev. Ivdward, 4 note 
Vizagapatam, 148 

Waddrm^, Mr., Bombay Civil Ser- 
vice, 1 14 

Wales, Prince of (afterwards George 
IV.), 47-49, 166, 167, 245 

Wales, Princess of 249 

Wallajahbad, 107, kj8 

Walsingham, Lord (see De Grey, 
Honourable George), 65, 90 

Warre, Captain, R.N., 33 

Warriore, 112, 129, 133 

Watson, Captain, 69th Regiment. 
See Watson, Lieutenant-Colonel 

Watson, Lieutenant-Colonel, 223 

Webster, Wedderburne, 2.54 

Wedgwood, Mr., his Staffordshire 
potteries, 3, 284 

Welchman, Rev. R., 9 



324 



ELERS MEMOIRS 



Wellesley, Colonel the Honourable 
Arthur. See Wellington, Duke 
of 

Wellesley, Gerald, 204 

Wellesley, Marquess of, loi, 115, 
127, 134, 157; made jNIarquess and 
gets pension after fall of Seringa- 
patani, 121 ; dinner to, 203-205 

Wellesley, ]\Irs. William Pole 
Tvlne}' Long {nee Miss Long), 
24S 

Wellington, Duke of, 58, 64, 70, 
83, 85, 88, 94, 100, no. III, 128, 
134, 270-274; arrives at the Cape, 
admires Miss Henrietta Smith, 
47 ; his appearance, 55, 56 ; gets 
brevet rank of Colonel, 56 ; loan 
to, by a Dublin tradesman, 56, 57 ; 
generosity to Mrs. Sturt, 57 ; fails 
in night attack near Seringa- 
patam, loi, 102 ; his subsequent 
success, 102 ; supersedes General 
Baird in command of Seringapa- 
tam, 103 ; superseded by General 
Baird in conmiand of Indian force 
for Egj'pt, 115; his ill-health, 
1 16 ; dangerous ride from Can- 
nanore through Cotiote country 
to Coorg with the author, 116, 
117; meets Rajah of Coorg, 118, 
119; his habits and conversation, 
120, 121 ; his highest ambition to 
be Major-General, 122 ; his hunt- 
ing establishment, 123; his dress, 
124 ; prosecutor at a general 
court-martial, 125; his suscep- 
tible heart, 126 ; his hospitality 
to the author, 127; engaged with 
Scindiah, 135; his dog Jack, 144; 
made G.C.B., 165-166; dinner to 
at Madras, 173; his quarrel with 
Sir Thomas Picton, 211 

Welsh, Thomas, the music-master, 

259 
Wenyeve, George, of Brettenham 

Park, Suffolk.' 241, 242 
Wenyeve, INIiss Henrietta. See 

Ca'rnac, Mrs. John 
West, Captain, 33rd Regiment, 

A.D.C. to Colonel Wellesley, 115, 

120, 124, 126 



Westmorland, Earl and Countess 

of, 10 
Weston, tailor to the Prince of 

Wales, 37 
Wherstead Lodge, 226 and note, 

235, 236, 238, 239 
Whitbread, Ladj- Elizabeth, 219, 

280 and note 
Whitbread, Mr., 219 
White, Lieutenant, 74th Regiment, 

179, 18 r 
Whitshed, Admiral, 132 
Wigtown, Lord, 198 and note 
William III., 4 
W^illiams, Captain, 74tli Regiment, 

200 
Wilson, Lieutenant of Marines, 69 
Wilson, Major. See Berners, Lord 
Wilson, Miss Susanna. See Russell, 

Mrs. William 
Wilson, Mr., of Allexton Hall, 

Leicestershire, 229 
Winch, Colonel, 36tli Regiment, 64 
Windus, carriage- builder, 97 
Winstone, Captain Thomas Hay- 
ward, 12th Regiment, 71, loS 
Winterton, Countess of, 197 and 

note 
Woburn sheep-shearing, the, 196 
Wood, Mrs. Sampson Tickell (nee 

Sarah Sober), 49, 50 
Wood, Sampson Tickell, 49, 50 
Woodall, Captain Thomas. See 

Woodall, Major Thomas 
Woodall, Major Thomas, 12th Regi- 
ment, 42, 46, 104 and note, 124, 

Woodall, Mrs. (nt'e Miss Janet Coch- 
raue, afterwards Lad}' Tuite), g.v. 
Wybrow, Dr. and Mrs., 162 
Wyndham, INIiss. See Stanhope, 
Honourable Mrs. Fitz-Roy 

Y.\RBOROUGH, Lord, 97 and note 
Yeaman, Major, 34th Regiment, 

171, 172 
York, Duke of, 103, 191, 201, 202, 268 
Young, Mr. Charles, the tragedian, 

56, 258, 259, 262 
Younghusband, Miss. See Elers, 

Mrs. Edward 



THE END 



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Xj OadDrL: A ViTliaTn HimTKa Triann 1903 




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